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Monday, July 6, 2009

NWEI Reading Group



Explore The Issues Further

This summer, some UF Green Team members are participating in a reading group based around Northwest Earth Institute's Choices for Sustainable Living. From early June through mid-July, participants are gathering weekly over lunch to discuss a wide diversity of readings that challenge them to explore what sustainability means and how their personal choices impact the planet. As the opening quote of the book states, "The character of a society is the cumulative result of the countless small actions, day in and day out, of millions of people."

Thus far, readings and discussion have varied widely-from the onset of cannibalism in the Easter Islands resulting from ecological and social deterioration-to campus anti-smoking policy, the society-wide implications of peak oil production, and our personal sense of optimism that our culture will make a successful transition to a sustainable one.

Group participants also bring diverse life experience to the table, from a 20-something Sustainability Coordinator from Gator Dining Services to a grandmotherly House Director from Kappa Delta Sorority, a Reitz Union shift director, campus faculty and more. Yet all share enthusiasm for learning and for our planet. Our shared reading and discussions will surely impact all of us.

Interested in participating in a future sustainability reading group? Would you like help starting a group in your own department or club? Please contact the Office of Sustainability’s Green Team Coordinator, Jason Fults.

Monday, June 29, 2009

Prizzia Named Director


Brings Experience, Passion to Office of Sustainability

Anna is the Director of the University of Florida’s Office of Sustainability. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Marine Biology from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington and a Master’s of Science in Wildlife Ecology and Conservation with a Certificate in Tropical Conservation and Development from the University of Florida in Gainesville. She has experience in natural resources management, habitat assessment, volunteer coordination, facilitation in the areas of education and the environment, and program development in education and marketing.

Prizzia worked as UF's Sustainability Outreach Coordinator from March 2007 through May 2009, and before that she was Watershed Action Volunteer Coordinator for Alachua County, Florida, implementing community water education programs. Previously, she worked with the St. John's River Water Management District and the City of Gainesville to craft water education campaigns. She has also worked in private environmental consulting and was a Peace Corps volunteer who worked in the Melanesian Republic of Vanuatu on community based natural resource management and small business skills.

Prizzia serves on the boards of Sustainable Alachua County, Sustainable Florida and Slow Food Gainesville. She has also worked on a number of field biology projects throughout Florida, and was involved with developing the Community Education Program for the University of Florida.

UF Swap Meet


Post and Find Needed Items

Asset Management has worked with Facilities, Planning & Construction and Office of Sustainability to create an online swap meet, a place for UF staff and faculty to repurpose unneeded or unwanted office supplies.

Looking for extra reams of paper, print toner or a keyboard and monitor? Most anything you can think of may be posted to the site or found there for your use!

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

A Blooming Garden


Student Leaders Wanted

The UF Ethnoecology Society, which began in the 1980's following a visit by the eminent ethnobotanist Richard Schultes, is seeking expanded student involvement. During the last several years, the Society has been active in bringing speakers to campus, organizing journal discussions and field trips, and, most especially, planting and caring for the educational/experimental ethnoecology garden on the UF campus, located near the bat house.

The garden has blossomed in the last two years, and at last count was home to 100-plus unique species. The Society maintains extensive trellis systems, a vermiculture box, a small nursery, and an active compost program using coffee grounds from Starbucks in Library West. The garden also is the venue for weekly gatherings for work, socializing, and eating.

The Society and the garden are ripe for more student involvement. Leadership is needed to ensure the continuation of the group's mission and gardens. If you are interested in Ethnobotany, Ethnoecology, Economic Botany, Agroforestry, Permaculture, etc., please consider becoming involved.

Visitors are welcomed to the garden Fridays from 5 PM to sunset. E-mail ethnoecology@gmail.com to join the Society’s e-mail list or inquire about future activities.

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Heavener Complex Receives Highest LEED Certification


Several Firsts Mark This Green Building Effort

The recent addition to Ben Hill Griffin Stadium has just been ranked as one of the most environmentally friendly buildings in the U.S.

The Heavener Football Complex has received platinum certification from the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System, the highest ranking available. It is the first building in Florida and the first athletic facility in the nation to achieve platinum status. There are only 130 platinum buildings in the US and 141 worldwide.

LEED certification is based on site/location planning, energy use, water management, materials used, indoor environmental quality and innovation in the design process. The Heavener Complex earned the required 52 out of 69 possible points to receive a platinum rating.

The $28 million complex includes offices, conference rooms, an atrium with trophies from the team’s national championships, and weight-training facilities. The facility’s energy-saving features exceed state and national standards requirements by 35 percent and include low-e glazing on glass, insulation and reflective materials, which make the heating and air conditioning systems more efficient. It also contains energy-efficient lighting and light sensors that allow individual lighting preferences and turn off automatically when the room is empty. The facility also has a system for analyzing future energy use. Light-colored roofing and concrete pavement on the plaza keep temperatures lower in and around the building.

The building reduced 40 percent of indoor water use with its low-flow fixtures, dual-flush toilets and water-saving shower heads. One hundred percent of its irrigation is reclaimed water, and native plants combined with nonevaporating sprinklers allow the landscaping to use 50 percent less water. The green roof of the weight room near Gate 18 conserves energy and insulates as well by containing storm water for its plant life, rather than directing it to the sewer system.

Read the rest of the story at University of Florida News.

Watch WCJB TV/20's related story.

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Students Welcomed To Committee Participation

Serve With A Committee

The UF Provost's Office is accepting student applications for university committee membership through Friday, June 12, 2009 for the 2009-2010 academic year.

The list of committees, committee descriptions, and applications are online at University of Florida - Academic Affairs. These committees generally meet monthly. Among the committees of particular interest to students regarding sustainability issues:

Lakes, Vegetation and Landscaping Committee for students interested in landscape plant selection, irrigation practices, tree removals and mitigations, stormwater/drainage systems, water bodies and natural area management.

Land Use and Facilities Planning Committee for students interested in campus master planning and building design.

Parking and Transportation Committee for students interested in parking facilities, parking management (including carpool program), scooters/motorcycles, transit, biking, and walking.

Preservation of Historic Buildings and Sites Committee for students interested in preserving cultural, architectural, and archaeological resources on campus.

Monday, April 27, 2009

Green Gators Take the Pledge


The Green Graduation Pledge reads: “I pledge to explore and take into account the social and ecological consequences of my decisions. Furthermore, I pledge to use the knowledge I gain at UF to improve the sustainability of the communities in which I live, learn, and work."

Sign on for this important commitment Tuesday through Friday, April 29 through May 1, 10 AM to 2 PM, at the University Bookstore (next to cap and gown pick-up). You may also pledge online at www.UFgreenalumni.org.