Faces of Sustainability

Martin “Marty” Werts
Physical Plant Division - Grounds Superintendent, Organic Citrus Vendor

Martin “Marty” Werts has been a dedicated employee to the University of Florida for the past 30 years, incorporating sustainability into his every day routine as naturally as waking up in the morning.

On campus, Werts supervises our Grounds Division, working hard to maintain the beauty and ecological integrity of campus. Marty oversees campus landscaping, ensuring that native and low-impact plants are used to reduce resource and chemical use - helping to curtail associated impacts on ecosystems and biodiversity on campus. Thanks to Marty campus-goers can now also see vegetation and foliage that attract butterflies, as well as edibles, scattered across the landscape.

Marty’s commitment doesn’t stop when the work week does. His dedication to protect our grounds and keep campus clean is evident even on home football Saturdays.

“Marty is a tremendous asset to the game day recycling program. He wholeheartedly supports it week after week, and actively seeks opportunities to best serve the initiative’s needs,” says Jordan Weinstein, intern program coordinator for the Office of Sustainability’s TailGator Game Day Recycling Program. “He is an essential component, and a fierce ally that we are lucky to have at our disposal.”

In addition to these efforts, Werts has also been an organic citrus farmer for the past 5 years. His oranges, grapefruits and other fruits can be found in campus dining halls, a part of the sustainability legacy taking shape here on campus that UF students, staff and faculty can experience.

Not only does he utilize more environmentally friendly methods to grow his products, but his Melrose-located farm means these fruits help reduce shipping related emissions (only a 22 mile footprint) and keep dollars within the local economy. His produce can also be found at Fresh Market in Gainesville.

Green Team Elevates Dining Sustainability

In an effort to further advance their sustainability program, Gator Dining Services has created an internal network of Green Team captains across campus dining locations. Charged with overseeing the implementation of sustainability programs and policies, captains are helping to elevate sustainability in all aspects of their operations.

“We have around 20 captains on campus, mostly students,” said Susie Lewis, Sustainability Coordinator for Gator Dining. “These leaders serve as idea generators for new ways to incorporate sustainability into their respective locations while promoting a culture of sustainability among all employees.”

Monthly meetings address various areas of sustainability - educating captains on relevant issues and developing action items for all captains to implement. In a few short months, captains have already achieved such successes as implementing water conservation policies at their locations and conducting a comprehensive food waste audit to create a master plan for waste reduction. Many captains have also gone above and beyond and developed new programs on their own.

Bailley Carr, Green Team Captain at Einsteins at the Hub, developed a reusable cup policy for employees to cut down on their waste stream. Around 770,000 disposable cups are used on campus each year.

“I am very excited about the changes that are happening at Einsteins,” said Carr. “The other employees have been very cooperative and it seems like almost everyone is willing to contribute to reuse, even though it means a little extra work here and there.”

For a closer look at Gator Dining’s Green Team, visit their website.

Local Foods Cookoff

Iron Chef celebration on Earth Day

The last day of spring classes in April was marked by competition as Fresh Food Company's chefs battled Iron Chef-style using local, sustainable ingredients. Almost all proteins and produce were sourced from Florida and nearby in Georgia. Broward Dining's customers tasted, tested, then chose the selections of the winning chef!

A number of campus and community groups tabled with activities and information on their sustainability efforts, including Sweetwater Organic Coffee, Artie's Tempeh, Greeks Going Green, Indigo Green Store and Produce Distribution Center. Prizes and giveaways included providing the customer with the highest participation rate in Gator Dining's Reusable To-Go Program a free bicycle and gifting the winner of April's Sustainability Scavenger Hunt a free 50-Block Commuter Dining Plan for Fall 2010, worth $661.00.

The past few years' competitions have been exciting. Interested in videos from past events? View the videos section at Gator Dining Services' Gator Dining Sustainability Site.

Gator Dining's Green Takeout

UF Customers taking their food to go now have a greener option. Gator Dining Services is now offering reusable to-go containers at three locations on campus – Gator Corner, Fresh Food Company, and Home Zone in the Reitz Union.

These containers are dishwasher-safe and made to be reused over and over again, helping cut down on the waste produced from their traditional disposable counterparts.

“Between our two dining halls, 158,000 disposable to-go containers were used last year”, said Susanne Lewis, Sustainability Coordinator for Gator Dining. “This program will serve as another great way to minimize waste on our campus.”

The process allows customers take their food to go as usual, bring the reusable container back at their earliest convenience at which time it gets washed by Gator Dining, and the cycle continues. Up to two reusable containers can be checked out per Gator 1 card.

The first 100 people to sign up for the program will also receive a free reusable cup which can be used campus-wide to receive 50 cent discounts on fountain beverages. There will also be other prizes distributed throughout the semester to reward customers who are taking an active part in waste minimization.

Customers can sign up for the program with their Gator 1 card at the register of any of the three locations. A $7.00 refundable deposit will be taken from a Declining Balance or Flex Bucks account – this deposit is refunded in full at the end of the year as long as all containers are returned.

For more information, visit Gator Dining.