Climate change expert to visit UF campus next week for several programs

Leading environmental policy analyst Lynn Scarlett will be visiting the University of Florida campus next week to present a lecture and workshop and moderate a panel presentation.

In a keynote speech Jan. 25, Lynn Scarlett, a former deputy secretary and chief operating officer of the U.S. Department of the Interior under President George W. Bush, will discuss her thoughts and experience with shifting policies and implementation plans for energy and climate change in the U.S., as well as her work on Sen. Bob Graham’s Oil Spill Commission.

“Conservation in an Era of Scarcity,” starts at 8 p.m. in the Reitz Student Union Grand Ballroom. This event is free and open to the public. The program is presented by the UF Office of Sustainability, the Florida Climate Institute, the UF Water Institute and the Bob Graham Center for Public Service.

Scarlett will also give a seminar on her work in the Everglades at 3 p.m. Jan. 25 in Reitz Student Union Room 282 and a talk on “Green Careers” at 10 a.m. Jan. 26 in the Reitz Student Union Rion Ballroom. Additionally she will be moderating “Deep Water: A Special Report to the University of Florida by Oil Spill Commission Co-Chairs Bob Graham and William Reilly” at 6 p.m. Jan. 27 in the Pugh Hall Ocora.

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Pick your commute for One Less Car Day on Oct. 6

UF is challenging students, faculty and staff to give up their cars and use alternative transportation throughout the fall semester and especially on Wednesday, October 6, One Less Car Day, with the hope that it becomes a habit.

As part of the One Less Car Challenge, a celebration for participants will be held from 11 AM to 1 PM on October 6 on the Reitz Union North Lawn (or the Colonnade should it rain). The event will include free cupcakes for decorating, prize drawings and giveaways, and various games where attendees can have fun while learning the benefits of alternative modes.

Tickets to the Women’s Volleyball match against Tennessee—this season’s green game—will be distributed to the first 200 staff and faculty attendees, compliments of the University Athletic Association. Office of Sustainability Director Anna Prizzia and Student Body President Ashton Charles will also speak and honor those who have committed to alternative transportation through the challenge.

In the evening, Chipotle Mexican Grill on University Avenue will offer free burritos from 5 PM to 7 PM to anyone wearing a One Less Car t-shirt or button and RUB Entertainment will host an Alternative Transportation Forum from 8 PM to 10 PM in the Orange and Brew. The public is invited to join City Commissioner Randy Wells and Alachua County Sustainability Program Manager Sean McLendon to discuss energy conservation and alternative transportation in Gainesville.

The One Less Car Challenge runs through November 19, with various mini-challenges and prize opportunities along the way. For more information, visit www.sustainable.ufl.edu/onelesscar or follow One Less Car on Facebook.

40 Days of Change - Week 6

This week marks the culmination of the Office of Sustainability’s 40 Days of Change campaign, 40 opportunities to make a CHANGE in your home, life and world in celebration of the 40th anniversary of Earth Day. The week will feature a variety of activities and opportunities for students, staff and faculty to recognize notable sustainability achievements of the past year and discuss opportunities for the future. Some of the events in Gainesville include:

Monday April 19
Sign the Green Graduation Pledge
UF Bookstore, 10am-4pm

Tuesday April 20
Sustainable Products Tradeshow
Reitz Union Grand Ballroom, 10am-2pm

The State of Solar, presented by ASES
106 Rinker Hall, 6:30pm

Wednesday April 21
CAMPUS EARTH DAY CELEBRATION
Plaza of the Americas
Hazardous and Electronic Waste Collection - 10am-3pm
Greening Your Career panel - 11am
Status of Sustainability presentation by UF President, Bernie Machen - 1pm
Sustainable Solutions Awards Presentation – 1:30pm

Thursday April 22
Earth Days Reception and Movie
Hippodrome, 5:30pm-9pm

Friday April 23
Recycle Your Coursepacks
Campuswide, all day

Saturday April 24
UF Cultural Plaza Earth Day Celebration
UF Cultural Plaza, 10am-3pm

40 Days of Change - Week 4

This week marks days 21 – 27 of the Office of Sustainability’s 40 Days of Change campaign, 40 opportunities to make a CHANGE in your home, life and world. Some of events on campus and in Gainesville this week include:

FOOD WEEK - 5 Days, 5 Issues Sponsored by UF Student Organizations

Diverse student groups will host events highlighting the problems, solutions, and opportunities presented by our current food system. The events will cover local to global food issues. Come hungry and be prepared to leave with a full stomach and mind.

Monday April 5
Stop Hunger Now!
Broward Basement, 630pm-830pm

Tuesday April 6
Be Organic & Slow Food
Plaza of the Americas, 1pm-3pm

Wednesday April 7
Young Farmers and the Future of Agriculture
New Physics Building 1002, 630pm-830pm

Thursday April 8
The True Cost of Food
Williamson Hall 100, 630pm-830pm

Friday April 9
The Bitter Side of Sugar
CSE E119, 6pm-8pm

Saturday April 10
The Old Homestead Trail
Dudley Farm, 10am-12pm

Sunday April 11
Food and Faith: A Panel Discussion on Sustainability, Food and Religion
Friends of the Music Room, University Auditorium

Next week's events include the Florida Food Summit (April 12 - 13). The event at UF’s Reitz Student Union will facilitate networking, dialogue, and visioning among members of the Florida food system, and help develop the connections needed for robust farm-to-institution programs. All FFS events are free and open to the public. For more information and to RSVP, follow the links below.

Food Summit Day 1: http://www.facebook.com/#!/event.php?eid=105157976186258&ref=ts

Food on the Lawn Farmers Market and Fair: http://www.facebook.com/#!/event.php?eid=108291702532173&ref=ts

Food Summit Day 2: http://www.facebook.com/#!/event.php?eid=108765575813525&ref=ts

40 Days of Change: Week 3

This week marks days 14 – 20 of the Office of Sustainability’s 40 Days of Change campaign, 40 opportunities to make a CHANGE in your home, life and world. Some of events on campus and in Gainesville this week include:

Monday March 29

Meatless Monday

Worldwide, all day

Tuesday March 30

Register Your Bike

Campuswide, all day

Wednesday March 31

Union Street Farmers Market

Downtown Plaza, 4pm-7pm

Thursday April 1

Getting Below the Surface - UF Water Institute Seminar

209 Emerson Alumni Hall, 3pm-5pm

Friday April 2

Explore Campus Conservation Areas

Campuswide, all day

Saturday April 3

Ardisia Days: Invasive Plant Cleanup

San Felasco Hammock Preserve State Park, 9am-12pm

Sunday April 4

Visit Gainesville Natural Areas

Citywide, all day

For event details and full calendar, visit www.sustainability.ufl.edu/40daysThe University of Florida Office of Sustainability is proud to sponsor 40 Days of Change in celebration of the 40th anniversary of Earth Day. From March 16th to April 24th, members of the local community and Gator Nation at-large are invited to make a change in their lives, homes and world by participating in sustainability-focused events throughout the area. Activities during the 40 days will encourage participants of all ages to be active both socially and physically through interactive participation in indoor and outdoor events. 40 Days of Change will culminate with the Florida Food Summit and Campus Earth Day celebration in April.

Follow Sustainable UF on Facebook: www.facebook.com/sustainableUF

UF Food Summit to showcase issues surrounding Florida food systems, sustainability

The University of Florida Office of Sustainability will host the first Florida Food Summit April 12-13. The event at UF’s Reitz Student Union will facilitate networking, dialogue, and visioning among members of the Florida food system, and help develop the connections needed for robust farm-to-institution programs.

The summit is part of the Office of Sustainability’s 40 Days of Change campaign – a celebration of the 40th anniversary of Earth Day.

The event will commence with a welcome reception, followed by public panels focusing on local food systems at the local and state level. Additional events include film screenings, multimedia presentations and a “Food on the Lawn” fair and farmers market. “Food on the Lawn” will take place on UF’s Plaza of the Americas from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. April 12, and feature food demonstrations, educational displays and local produce for sale. A photography exhibition, “Range, Furrow, and Grove: Images of Florida Agriculture,” will also be on display April 5-17 in the Reitz Student Union Gallery.

Michael Dimock, executive director of Roots for Change, will present a keynote speech on sustainable food system development. The presentation will take place the evening of April 12. Robert Stone, outreach coordinator for Florida Folklife Program, will present “Florida Cowboys and Agricultural History” the evening of April 13.

A special workshop will be held April 13 for local and national stakeholders invited to share their knowledge on and ideas for creating and accelerating farm-to-institution programs.

Additional programs hosted in the days leading up to the event will complement the summit program and include movie showings, student-led programs and a panel entitled “Food and Faith,” featuring local religious leaders.

Sponsors of the event include Alachua County, Aramark Higher Education and Darden Restaurants, along with considerable support from the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences in planning and participation.

Lights to go out at Century Tower, other sites as UF observes Earth Hour

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Century Tower will go dark this weekend as the University of Florida observes Earth Hour. Earth Hour is a worldwide effort to turn off lights between 8:30 and 9:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 27 to save energy and demonstrate a commitment to fighting climate change.

The lights around Century Tower and lights on fountains and on outdoor art installations will be off from Friday evening until Monday morning. The University Athletic Association also confirmed additional campus spots that will go dark for the weekend include the stadium north end signs, the basketball lobby, the Gate 18 donor lights and Ben Hill Griffin signage on Stadium Road West. Additionally, the electronic marquees at several entrances to the UF campus will be dark from 5 p.m. Friday until noon Saturday.

This is the third year UF has encouraged students, faculty and staff to participate in Earth Hour and the second year campus landmarks have been turned off. Turning off lights at Century Tower and other campus icons will symbolize the school’s commitment to sustainability without affecting lights on streets, sidewalks or parking garages to ensure campus safety isn’t compromised.

“We are glad to be a part of this global movement to bring awareness to energy conservation,” Prizzia said. “We hope darkening our campus icons will inspire people to contemplate their own energy impacts.”

The office will also urge students, especially those living in residence halls, to turn off nonessential lighting during Earth Hour.

Earth Hour started three years ago in Sydney, Australia, and became a global event in 2008 when more than 400 cities turned off extra lights, including those at the Sydney Opera House, the Coliseum and the Empire State Building, according to the World Wildlife Fund Web site.

For more information about Earth Hour nationally visit https://www.myearthhour.org/home

Contact: Ashley Pennington.

40 Days of Change: Days 1 - 5

This week marks the launch of the Office of Sustainability’s 40 Days of Change campaign; 40 opportunities to make a CHANGE in your home, life and world. Some of events on campus and in Gainesville this week include:

Tuesday 3/16
40 Days of Change Kickoff Activities

Reitz Union Colonnade, 10:30am-1:30pm

Wednesday 3/17
UF Lacrosse and Softball Green Games

UF Lacrosse Field and Softball Stadium, 6:30pm

Thursday 3/18
Alternatively Fueled Vehicles Display and Panel Discussion

Reitz Union North Lawn, 10am-3:30pm

Friday March 3/19
1st Annual Gainesville Environmental Film & Arts Festival

Hippodrome, The Age of Stupid (7pm) and The End of the Line (9pm)

Invisible Children's Legacy Tour

Reitz Union, Room 282, 7:00pm

Saturday March 3/20
Kanapaha Spring Garden Festival

Kanapaha Botanical Gardens, 9am-6pm

Follow Sustainable UF on Facebook: www.facebook.com/sustainableUF

REMEMBER - Submit applications for Sustainable Solutions Awards online: www.sustainability.ufl/ssa

UF asks Gators to mark 40 days of change to commemorate Earth Day

The University of Florida Office of Sustainability will sponsor “40 Days of Change” in celebration of the 40th anniversary of Earth Day.

From March 16 to April 24, members of the local community and Gator Nation are invited to make a change in their lives, homes and world by participating in sustainability-focused events throughout the area.

“40 Days of Change” will launch on March 16 with a series of interactive activities at the Reitz Student Union. Participants can plant their own edible greens, make jewelry from recycled materials, and learn more about the campaign.

The campaign encourages participants to be active both socially and physically through interactive events including University of Florida Lacrosse and Softball “Green Games” on March 17, the Gainesville Environmental Film & Arts Festival on March 19-28, a handmade natural soap workshop on March 20, “Range, Furrow, and Grove: Images of Florida Agriculture” photography exhibition on April 5-17, walking tours of Paynes Prairie every Thursday and “5 Days 5 Issues” presentations by UF student organizations April 5-9.

The focal point of “40 Days of Change” will be the 2010 Florida Food Summit, hosted by the UF Office of Sustainability, on April 12 -13. The event will take place at the university’s Reitz Student Union and will facilitate networking, dialogue, and visioning among members of the Florida food system, and help develop the connections needed for robust farm-to-institution programs.

The campaign will culminate with Earth Day events on campus and in the community April 19-24. UF’s campus Earth Day celebration on April 21st will include the annual State of Sustainability address by President Bernie Machen on the Plaza of the Americas, followed by the presentation of this year’s Sustainable Solutions Award recipients. Sustainable Alachua County and the UF Office of Sustainability will host “Earth Days,” the movie, at the Hippodrome during the week, and on April 24, the Florida Museum of Natural History will hold a community Earth Day celebration and Rebuild Together will provide a chance to volunteer in the community for National Rebuilding Day.

“40 Days of Change” is an opportunity for community members to learn more about sustainability initiatives while contributing and interacting with each other. The full schedule of events, with information on times and locations, can be found here.

Annual Sustainable Florida Best Practice Awards

Sustainable Florida is now accepting nominations for its annual Best Practice Awards program to honor and promote outstanding examples of sustainable development principles—e.g., water and energy conservation, waste diversion, community engagement, building social capital, building green, transportation alternatives, historic preservation, healthy initiatives, organic farming, landscape innovations, and more.

The nomination deadline is at the end of March. The awards program will held June 4 at the Florida Green Building Coalition Green Trends conference. And, the Governor and Cabinet usually honor the winners with a resolution at a later meeting.

Public Interest Environmental Conference at UF College of Law

The University of Florida Levin College of Law hosts the 16th Annual Public Interest Environmental Conference, Feb. 25-27. This year’s theme, "Bringing It All Back Home," focuses on the growing interest in local solutions and the legal and policy issues these present, distributed across three thematic tracks, land use, local economies and leadership, described below. The full agenda and registration details can be viewed at www.law.ufl.edu/piec

Plenary presentations by evolutionary ecologist Robert Rosenzwieg, author of “Win-Win Ecology,” and city planner Darrin Nordahl, author of "Public Produce: The New Urban Agriculture," will kick off the Friday morning tracks.

A Friday lunch event titled Restoring the Trust: Water Resources and the Public Trust Doctrine, will feature legal scholars and policy analysts from the Washington D.C. based Center for Progressive Reform discussing the use of their Manual for Advocates.

Saturday workshops will focus on the nuts and bolts of the rezoning and land development approval process using a case study approach presented by the Public Interest Committee of the Environmental and Land Use Law Section of the Florida Bar, and on cultivating a new generation of environmental leaders, sponsored by the Bob Graham Center for Public Service and the UF Office of Sustainability.

Keynote speakers bring these themes home. On Thursday evening, the conference will pay tribute to Professor Julian Jurgensmeyer, who has had a profound influence on Florida land use law and trained generations of Florida Land Use lawyers. Friday’s banquet will feature author Bill Bellville, author of "Losing it All to Sprawl: How Progress Ate my Cracker Landscape."

Content provided by UF College of Law

The Second Annual Sustainable Solutions Awards - Nominations Open!

The Office of Sustainability will host the 2nd annual Sustainable Solutions Awards as part of the “40 Days of Change for the Earth” for Earth Day 2010. Award recipients will be announced Wednesday, April 21 at the Earth Day Celebration, following President J. Bernard Machen’s annual State of Sustainability address.

Nominations open Monday, February 15 and run through Friday, March 26. Nominate here!

The awards recognize individuals or teams which have made significant contributions toward advancing sustainability at UF. Qualifying projects will have helped to realize the Vision for a Sustainable UF in the categories of Waste Reduction, Water Conservation or Energy Conservation.

Solar Cyclists at University of Florida

SolarCycle Week, hosted by the Smathers Libraries, recently wrapped up its week-long series of events, culminating with the arrival of the Solar Cyclists. Groups came together January 25th-31st from all over campus to learn more about sustainability, solar power and the incredible around-the world cycling journey of the Solar Cyclists, Susie Wheeldon and Jamie Vinning.

The program, made possible by the George A. Smathers Libraries in partnership with the UF Office of Sustainability, worked to engage faculty, staff, students and the local community around renewable energy topics.

During the month of January, exhibits were arranged in both Marston Science Library and Library West. The Department of Energy held two workshops, where faculty, staff and local business owners came together to learn how to better navigate and search the many DOE databases. For a copy of the PowerPoint from this workshop please request a copy.

There was also a screening of “The Great Squeeze,” an award-winning documentary exploring at what price modern-day prosperity has come. The event was co-sponsored by the Reitz Union Board and the film is now available for checkout at Library West.

The week came to a close on Thursday with the SolorCycle Expo on the Plaza and the Solar Cyclists’ presentation. Campus and community groups and organizations tabled on the Plaza of the Americas, raising awareness on alternative energy and sustainability. Kathy Viehe of GRU spoke on the Gainesville Solar Feed in Tariff program. Read more about the groundbreaking program here.

In their keynote presentation Wheeldon and Vinning spoke candidly about their cycling journey, how and why it came to fruition, and what it took to make the trip happen. There was a solar book-bag door prize, courtesy of G24 Innovations, followed by a Q&A session. A video of their presentation can be viewed here.

To mark the arrival of the cyclists, members of the Gainesville Cycling Club escorted the pair into Gainesville, while members of the Bikes and More cycling team met at the Reitz Union colonnade to escort the cyclists out of town – despite the rainy Saturday morning – as they continued on their way to Miami and back to the United Kingdom 9 months after embarking on their journey.

For more information on the Solar Cyclists, visit here.

Trashformations 2009

At the end of November the Florida Museum of Natural History and Alachua County Office of Waste Alternatives hosted the 11th Annual Trashformations program. Trashformations is a juried art competition open to all middle school, high school and college students in Alachua County. Each piece entered into the competition must be comprised of at least 70% recycled, recyclable or reused materials.

This year, over 40 entries were displayed at the Florida Museum. Each piece demonstrated new, expressive, and innovative ways to recycle household materials. With nearly 300 people in attendance, awards were presented in three divisions: middle school, high school and college. Awards were given to local students from schools including Westwood Middle, Oak Hall, Santa Fe College and the University of Florida. A winner was also selected from each division to receive a Waste Watcher Award, for artwork demonstrating the best use of recycled materials as well as a Museum Choice Award, for pieces with natural history related themes.

Award winning sculptures ranged in subject matter from a tree-hugging robot to a giant angler fish. Inspired by the positive feedback from the public, some Trashformations participants have even gone on to sell their recycled creations following the event. Trashformations provides students with a unique opportunity to display their work in a museum gallery and to gain public recognition of their skills.

For more information about Trashformations, please contact the Alachua County Office of Waste Alternatives.

One Less Car Wraps As Alternative Transportation Increases

The second annual One Less Car challenge was a success, with nearly 1,000 people participating. More than 100 teams represented students, faculty, and staff from departments and units across campus. Together, One Less Car participants avoided over 260,000 miles of driving during the challenge. Through alternative transportation commutes, such as busing, biking, and walking, approximately 246,370 pounds of carbon dioxide were kept from entering the atmosphere.

The teams that used alternative transportation for the most miles were: The Office for Student Financial Affairs, The Florida Museum of Natural History, and The College of Dentistry. Final prizes were awarded to the teams with the highest average points per member: Extreme Backroads, Los Tamales Calientes, Radical Gainesville, Geography, and No glass on the bike lanes. Individuals also earned prizes for logging the most trips and avoiding the most miles of driving. Final prizes included: lunch from Satchel’s Pizza, bike tune-ups, Hippodrome Tickets, Gator Dining meal coupons, and tickets to the Butterfly exhibit at the Florida Museum of Natural History.

The Office of Sustainability would like to thank everyone who participated this year and all of our sponsors for providing such great incentives to participate.

Blake Mycoskie of TOMS Shoes Visits UF

Blake Mycoskie, the founder and Chief Shoe Giver of TOMS Shoes, visited UF last week and spoke to students, faculty and community members. More than a thousand guests attended his lecture at the Phillips Center for the Performing Arts on November 4th to hear the story of TOMS shoes.

The company is known for its innovative One for One philosophy - TOMS Shoes donates one pair of shoes to a child in need for every pair of shoes purchased from the company. Mycoskie shared the story of how he started TOMS Shoes after going to Argentina and attending a shoe drive hosted by a local organization. He realized that charity alone would not be able to fund new shoes for these children and that relying on a giving business model would offer a better long-term solution.

Mycoksie encouraged students in the audience to follow their passion and look for companies that value service and sustainability when seeking a job. He also said setting a company goal with a higher purpose tends to attract dedicated and passionate employees. After Mycoskie's speech, the winning video of the UF Entrepreneurship and Innovation Video Contest was announced and debuted at the Phillips Center for the Performing Arts.

In conjunction with his visit and speech, the Office of Sustainability held a Style Your Sole event at the Reitz Union Colonnade on Wednesday, November 3rd. During this event, students and faculty purchased canvas TOMS Shoes to decorate with paint, glitter, markers and more. Student organizations are planning another Style Your Sole event and an airing of the TOMS Shoes documentary at the Reitz Student Union during the third week of November.

The series of events in conjunction with Mycoskie’s visit was sponsored by the Office of Sustainability, ACCENT, the Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, UF MBA, the Center for Leadership and Service, Gators Going Green and New Student Programs.

One Less Car Challenge

Take the pledge

Join your fellow Gators and pledge to take alternative transportation on Friday, October 23, One Less Car Day, and throughout the fall semester. Last year, nearly 1800 people participated- avoiding over 48,000 trips and keeping 245 tons of CO2 emissions from entering the atmosphere!

The campaign kicks off Tuesday, September 1 with an Alternative Transportation Fair on the Reitz Union North Lawn, 9 AM - 2 PM. Alternatives to single occupancy travel include walking, biking, taking the bus, and sharing the ride in a carpool. All participants will receive a button indicating the mode of transportation they have pledged to take, which can be worn throughout the year.

Individuals and teams can track their collective commitment online with our new, easy to use software. This year, the challenge includes points for recruiting new participants, encouraging everyone to invite a friend or coworker to participate. Prizes will be awarded for the most active individuals and teams.

Members of the UF community can get more information, sign-up for the challenge, and join a UF department or organization’s team online.

Neutral Gators Weather(ize) In Gainesville

Volunteer today to help in local homes

Neutral Gator is at it again—this year’s goal—to offset the carbon footprint of the entire Gator 2009-10 athletic program.

Toward this effort Neutral Gator will take on its first-ever weatherization project. Volunteers will perform a variety of activities on Village Green apartments, such as installing low-flow showerheads and compact-fluorescent light bulbs, checking for leaks, and insulating water heater pipes.

The project will take place Saturday, August 29 from 10 AM to 6 PM and again on Wednesday, September 9 from 9:30 AM to 4 PM.

The residents of Village and Forest Green in east Gainesville will soon be reducing their environmental footprint and cutting back on their monthly utility expenses thanks to this joint project between Neutral Gator and the Community Weatherization Coalition (CWC).

No weatherization experience is necessary to volunteer, just contact Angelica Ramdhari. In addition to the direct energy savings, Neutral Gator and the CWC will use this project as an opportunity to educate both volunteers and residents about lowering their environmental impact. The end result will be a smaller ecological footprint and lower monthly utility bills for this low-income community.

The carbon offsets created from this project, and others in our local community, will go toward Neutral Gator’s goal of creating the first-ever UAA carbon neutral athletics season. Last year, Neutral Gator was successful in offsetting the carbon emissions for the entire football season.

“I think it’s great that we can provide energy-reducing retrofits to low-income families all in the name of Gator athletics,” said Jacob Cravey, co-founder of Earth Givers, Inc. and Director of the Neutral Gator Initiative.

- Article courtesy of Aubrey Siegel

Small Farms Conference

First statewide conference a success

The vast majority of Florida’s 47,000 farms are classified as small by U.S. Department of Agriculture standards, but there’s been little opportunity for all the people behind those farms to get together and work toward common goals.

That changed on August 1 and 2 with the first Florida Small Farms and Alternative Enterprises Conference, a statewide event that was such a success, organizers plan to repeat it yearly, said Bob Hochmuth, a multicounty extension agent with the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences.

More than 800 farmers and agriculture professionals attended the event, held at Osceola Heritage Park in Kissimmee.

“It shows that even in today’s economy, there is great interest among the small farmers in Florida to improving the things they’re doing on their farms,” said Hochmuth, who helped plan the conference.

The event was hosted by UF/IFAS and Florida A&M University’s College of Engineering Sciences, Technology and Agriculture. It featured more than 100 speakers, 30 educational sessions, networking opportunities, more than 80 exhibitions of new products and technologies, and livestock displays.

Highlights included a welcome address from Florida Agriculture Commissioner Charles Bronson; an impassioned keynote speech from nationally known small farms authority John Ikerd; and presentation of Florida Innovative Farmer Awards to three attendees for developing and sustaining their small farm enterprises.

Another detail that set this conference apart—much of the food served to attendees was prepared with items produced by Florida’s small farms. Food service was provided by the Osceola Heritage Park’s in-house caterers, who were not only cooperative but enthused about the project, Hochmuth said.

“They were amazed by how much high-quality food was available from small producers in Florida,” he said. “They really got into it.”

The 2010 conference will probably take place in midsummer, again at Osceola Heritage Park, he said.

Photos, videos and other material from the 2009 conference will be posted at the small farms website maintained by UF and FAMU. The site will soon include information about the 2010 conference, and contains helpful material for anyone operating or launching a small farm in Florida.

For the latest demographic information on Florida’s small farms, see the recently published UF document, Characteristics of Small Farm Operators in Florida: Economics, Demographics and Preferred Information Channels and Sources.

- Article courtesy of UF IFAS, Tom Nordlie

- Photo courtesy of UF IFAS, Tyler Jones

Light Bulb Battle

Gainesville residents have a chance to offset the pollution from Saturday’s University of Florida football game, help their mayor win a bet with Tallahassee’s mayor and save money, too. All they need is an old incandescent bulb and $1.

Now through Tuesday, residents can stop at one of several area businesses to purchase up to 30 money-saving, energy-efficient, carbon-reducing light bulbs known as compact florescent lights or CFLs. The lights last about 10,000 hours, saving $50 and half a ton of greenhouse gas emissions per bulb.

The effort, called the “Gator vs. Seminole Light Bulb Battle,” is part of an ongoing effort by the Neutral Gator initiative to offset the carbon footprint from UF’s home football games. The initiative has united Gainesville Regional Utilities, the UF Office of Sustainability, the nonprofit Earth Givers and seven local businesses to distribute 50,000 lights before Wednesday.

A diverse range of businesses have agreed to help the cause by providing exchange stations: Indigo Green Store; Lighting Gallery; Zell’s Ace Hardware; Volta Coffee, Tea and Chocolate; Satchel’s Lightnin’ Salvage; Ward’s Supermarket; Rides Auto Sales; and Stubbie Shirt Pub. Gainesville Publix locations will also sell the bulbs from 4 to 7 p.m. on Friday. The bulbs also will be on sale at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium during the football game. Only cash will be accepted. For more information, visit Neutral Gator.