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.

Energy Summit Projects Show Strong Returns

Many people across campus often know little about the myriad ways sustainability is taking shape behind the scenes at the operational level, and they are sure are many. One area that has seen prolific consideration is energy. Over the last two years, UF has invested millions of dollars into a number of energy efficiency projects throughout campus. Energy Summits, convened by Vice President of Business Affairs, Ed Poppell, brought stakeholders from throughout UF together to identify projects that would save energy, improve operations & maintenance, and reduce UF’s carbon footprint. Representatives from Housing, University Athletic Association, IFAS, Physical Plant Division, Facilities, Planning & Construction, and the Health Science Center came together to identify and implement key projects to accomplish these goals. Since electricity for the university has a $43 million dollar price tag last year, and buildings account for over 70% of our carbon footprint, these projects help reduce costs as well as environmental impact.

As a result of the energy summit projects, most of UF’s buildings are now individually metered for electricity, allowing staff to monitor energy use more accurately and customize building systems to operate more efficiently. Major renovations and equipment replacements included chillers, boilers, and air handlers throughout campus. One project, replacing T-12 lighting fixtures with T-8’s had a return on investment of 61%, with $300,000 annual savings! Smaller projects, like installing occupancy sensors, upgrading filters, and replacing windows were also a part of the Energy Summit projects.

The upgrades and efforts conducted in response to the Energy Summit meetings reflect UF’s commitment to sustainability and carry the institution closer to its goal of carbon neutrality by 2025. However, based upon information gleaned from the 2005 Greenhouse Gas Inventory conducted, it was determined that around 30% of a building’s energy use is attributable to small equipment and behavioral conditions. This insight helped inform the design and implementation of the “Chomp Down on Energy” efficiency campaign to help educate and empower students, staff and faculty to consider the impact their individual actions have on the cumulative energy use (and footprint) of UF. All Gators can learn tips for energy conservation, and actively be a part of the sustainability story unfolding across campus.

Faces of Sustainability - New Student Programs

The Division of Student Affairs as a part of the University of Florida is dedicated to creating and supporting a sustainable UF. As part of an educational institution we believe it is our responsibility to not only be good stewards of the environment in our day to day work, but to also help educate our students and community about sustainability and the important role they have in creating not only a more sustainable UF but also a more sustainable world. "We are in a unique position when it comes to reaching the student audience, and while we work hard to be more sustainable internally, it is a key focus of ours to spread the message and create the experience of sustainability for students," said Jaime Gresly, Assistant Dean and Director of New Student Programs.

As a member of the Division of Student Affairs, New Student Programs is committed to exemplifying these values and behaviors in their facilities, programming and daily work. These efforts come in many forms, from printing double sided to using compostable plates as well as reusable plates, cups and silverware when possible at large events. This year's preview staffers received a specific presentation on sustainability so they can inform incoming students and their families about the various efforts and opportunities that exist at UF, and the selection for the 2010 Common Reading Program (CRP) similarly reflects a commitment to provoking thought and passion around sustainability. In addition to bringing the CRP book author - William Kamkwamba - to campus, other speakers in their Featured Speaker Series focus on topics of social and environmental sustainability. "It is our hope that the students who interact with our staff, utilize our facilities and engage in programs will not only learn about how we incorporate sustainable practices in our daily operations but in turn will learn how they can incorporate sustainable practices too!"

Faces of Sustainability - New Vet Med Teams Hit The Ground Running

Shortly after the start of this year, the College of Veterinary Medicine formed a number of department Green Teams, and met with the Office of Sustainability to ensure they had all the necessary tools, knowledge, and ideas to make their office spaces and business practices more sustainable.

The Dean’s Office team is making strides in energy conservation by participating in the “Chomp Down on Energy” campaign, as well as promoting recycling and waste reduction. Captain Mary Ring promptly reached out to get some additional bins in the building, and team members have been actively removing the office address from junk mail lists to help cut waste at the source. “Education is key,” says Ring, as is recognition for any and all efforts to help encourage camaraderie in sustainability. “If there's one thing we've all learned during the course of the past 6 months it is that every little accomplishment is an important part of the big accomplishment and everyone should be just as thrilled in results whether large or small,” she said.

The Department of Infectious Disease and Pathology team and their captain, Anna Lundgren, are also getting creative. While the team sends out an e-newsletter to keep staff aware of efforts and provide tips, they are also working to audit vending machine use in the hopes of eliminating one of three machines to reduce energy consumption and encourage the use of reusable bottles.

Captain Barbara Dupont has a number of exciting efforts underway in the Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences. In addition to switching to all electronic exams in the Health Science Center, the team has also put in place a process for saving dry ice packs from deliveries, keeping the environmentally sensitive waste out of the trash and allowing for reuse by others. SACS is also working on a green employee pledge to be included as part of their new hire packet, as well as a similar pledge for current employees.

Jennifer Wallace with the UF Small Animal Hospital made sure to obtain recycling bins for the lobby, while department staff is working hard to shut computers off at night and coordinate with management on adjusting student default printer settings to double-sided.

For more information on Green Teams visit the Green Teams website, or contact Ashley Pennington.

UF Department of Housing a Leader in Campus Sustainability

The Department Of Housing is helping to set the bar for Green Teams and sustainability on campus. They have been actively participating in their own energy conservation campaign since last year, in addition to numerous other efforts that reflect their commitment to cutting UF’s carbon footprint.

Housing placed light switch covers throughout residence halls and Student Affairs facilities to remind students and staff to turn off lights when not in use, and initiated a “Computers Off!” campaign for staff and residents. Residents are educated on power-saving practices for their personal computers and encouraged to be more mindful of consumption.

“The Housing and Residence Education Green Team is focusing on energy and water conservation in residence facilities,” said Sharon Blansett, green team captain. “Our education programs and messages emphasize that small, consistent individual effort can make a difference.”

They are also close to wrapping up the 2010 “Eco-Challenge: Battle of the Halls.” In the challenge, residence halls compete to see which group of students can reduce their water and energy consumption the most. January focused on water conservation and February focuses on energy use. Points for the waste reduction competition accrue throughout the challenge. The winners will be announced April 21 at the campus Earth Day Celebration.

Additionally, staff are continuing with other structural efforts such as expanding motion-sensor lighting, replacing older windows with higher efficiency ones, and retrofitting lighting systems.

Housing’s efforts help exemplify the need for unique and focused action across campus. Not only are these efforts critical in cutting facilities’ consumption and modifying staff behavior to be more sustainable, but they are helping transform the student culture around sustainability at UF.

For more information about Housing visit here.

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.

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.

FLMNH Enthusiastic For Sustainability

The Florida Museum of Natural History (FLMNH) is dedicated to understanding, preserving and interpreting Florida’s biological diversity and cultural heritage. Research published by museum faculty, staff, and students working in Dickinson and McGuire Halls, as well as the public exhibits in McGuire and Powell Halls that interpret these works, aim to communicate the value of natural systems to policymakers and the public alike.

In line with its institutional purpose and the desire to serve as a model for sustainability practices, the FLMNH and its Green Team strive to implement best sustainability practices into the daily rhythms of museum life. The FLMNH Green Team is conscious of their resource consumption, with approximately 200,000 ft² of campus building space and nearly 500 staff and students.

Frequent reminders of ways in which staff and students can reduce their consumption of natural resources occur periodically via e-mail and staff meeting presentations. A number of initiatives are underway to reduce the impact of the museum and educate students, staff, and visitors. Early successes include:

• Reducing demand for printed campus and community phone directories by over 95%

• Partnership with the Physical Plant Recycling program for scheduled pickups of clean, glass specimen containers too large for standard campus bins

• High annual level of participation in the annual One Less Car alternative transportation campaign—this year, 76 team members avoided 22,642 miles of driving

• Responsible material usage by the graphic design department including a commitment to FSC certified materials and reusable event signage

• Eco-minded gift presentations at the museum’s annual holiday party in order to promote awareness

• Installation of towel bars and reusable towels near high-traffic sinks (in a nod to the UF International Center Green Team)

The Florida Museum has adopted Office of Sustainability Programs into our year-round operations, including “Think Before You Ink,” “Chomp Down on Energy,” and the “One Less Car” campaign.

Much work remains to be done and a number of great things are planned for 2010. Stay tuned!

Sustainable Movements At The Phillips Center For The Performing Arts

The Curtis M. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts has been presenting established and emerging national and international artists and performers since opening its doors in 1992. As a performance facility, the Phillips Center for the Performing Arts (PCPA) uses a large volume of energy –in part through its stage lighting instruments. As UF moves toward sustainability, the PCPA is taking steps to “green” the facility and encourage its users to become more sustainable.

With the help of the PCPA’s Green Team, energy use has been reduced by replacing all of the facility’s performance lighting instruments. At 575 watts, the new High Performance Lamp (HPL) produces light equivalent to a 1,000 watt spotlight using previous technology. This lower amount of energy consumption saves money on electricity and creates less heat.

The PCPA has also replaced as much of the lighting in its dressing rooms and house aisles with compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFL). In addition, the PCPA programmed its main auditorium lighting so that only one-quarter of the available lighting fixtures are on - at 50% intensity - during most work days.

Along with the lighting efforts, the PCPA is encouraging its performers and audience to recycle and reduce waste. With recycling bins prominently displayed and encouraging use of water coolers as opposed to 20 oz. bottled water, the PCPA is beginning to make some headway in its waste and recycling efforts backstage and front-of-house. Similar to the UF dining and catering services, the PCPA is gradually transitioning toward purchasing more sustainable food and refreshment options for its events and receptions.

Lastly, the PCPA is working on its newest initiative called “4-Star Parking.” Audiences are encouraged to carpool with four or more people in a vehicle and in return gain priority parking at the facility – a parking privilege normally reserved for upper-level donors. Phillips Center staff realize that transportation to performances at the PCPA has even greater impact than the facility itself, so they looked for incentives for the audience to join UF’s sustainability efforts.

Take the Challenge - One Less Car Day

University of Florida faculty, staff, and students are going strong with their commitment to alternative transportation through the One Less Car Challenge. The Office of Sustainability encourages everyone to give alternative transportation a try on One Less Car Day, Oct. 23, and throughout the semester.

One Less Car events will take place from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on October 23rd at the Reitz Union North Lawn. It will feature a fun scavenger hunt and "fix a flat" challenge that participants can complete to earn prizes. Also, there will be games and prizes announced throughout the event.

Take alternative transportation to campus, and then come out to celebrate and take part in the fun. Prizes will be awarded to participants and attendees, including coupons for lunch and gift certificates to local restaurants.

Those interested in taking part in the challenge can still start or join teams, and log the miles they commute every day with easy-to-use online software. Points are awarded for each trip traveled by alternative transportation, including walking, biking, busing and carpooling. This year, the challenge encourages participants to “invite a friend”, and earn bonus points through referrals. Each person will receive a button indicating the mode of transportation they have pledged to take, which can be worn year round.

Registration for the One Less Car challenge is ongoing. Members of the UF community can find out more information, sign up for the challenge, and join a team online at our One Less Car webpage.

Green Team Captains Leadership Training

In conjunction with UF’s Human Resource Services, the Office of Sustainability hosted a leadership training on October 6 at Emerson Alumni Hall. More than 30 Green Team captains attended the training session to discuss and share ideas for sustainability and team building at UF.

Tanya Fitzgerald and Ronda Mitchell from Human Resource Services provided fun and interactive activities for attendees to strategically structure each department’s goals and to identify challenges and obstacles. Each captain was able to identify his or her target audience, appropriate messages, implementation plans and evaluative techniques for follow-up.

It was exciting to watch team captains plan new sustainability initiatives and enhance existing programs through this leadership retreat. Those attending were inspired, and said this event helped build bridges between captains and departments as common areas of concern were identified. Also, many exciting new ideas were brainstormed.

Does your department have a Green Team Captain? Interested staff and faculty please contact Jessica Song for more information.

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.

A Big Thank You

The Office of Sustainability would like to thank all who made Gator game day recycling a success. With in-kind and financial help from Sam’s Club and Pepsi, as well as hours of hard work from UF volunteers and staff, over 25,700 pounds of cans and bottles were collected.

Game day recycling efforts are headed up by the TailGator Green Team, a group of student volunteers. Every game day, here at the swamp, the TailGator Green Team sets up their tent where volunteers sign-in, pick up their recycling tools, namely rubber gloves and bags, and get their tailgating zone assignment.

The volunteers visit tailgating parties across campus, dropping off bags, so football fans can collect their recyclables, and educating fans on the benefits of recycling. Just before kick-off, the volunteers visit the tailgators again, check the bags, and remove any non-recyclables.

Claire Long coordinates the recycling efforts and is quick to point out that game day recycling wouldn’t be possible without support from staff from the physical plant and the University Alumni Association (UAA). Roving the campus, physical plant employees collect the tied-off bags from all of the tailgating spots and consolidate the recyclables for pick-up. The UAA also contracts to have the recyclables separated out from the trash during the post-game stadium cleanup.

Besides diverting waste from the landfill, the team has racked up almost 900 volunteer hours in over 500 shifts. Each shift lasts from two to four hours and when the bags are tied-off, volunteers are treated with praise and refreshments. If you’re interested in volunteering with the TailGator Green Team visit the Gator Green Team Facebook page on the UF network.

Teaming up for Sustainability

Last semester over 30 Green Team captains representing departments ranging from the College of Dentistry to the UF Police Department came together to discuss sustainability initiatives that they are implementing in their departments. One of the themes of the meeting was building communication and collaboration with other Green Teams and the Office of Sustainability. This meeting was the largest gathering to date of the nascent Green Team network and demonstrated the growing enthusiasm that UF’s staff and faculty have for transforming their university into a sustainable campus. The meeting was also an opportunity for Jason Fults, the newly-hired Green Team Project Manager, to meet the captains face-to-face and to learn more about the challenges and successes that their respective teams have experienced.

This semester there are some exciting plans afoot for the Green Team network, including a “Sustainable Solutions Awards Program” and a pilot energy conservation campaign in Tigert Hall that will enlist Green Teams in deploying best practices in energy conservation behaviors. If successful, this project could serve as a model for other administrative buildings on campus.

There are currently more than sixty Green Teams working across campus to reduce waste and resource consumption. These groups are at the forefront of developing sustainable solutions for UF through the implementation of sustainable best practices in their departments and throughout the campus community. To learn more about the Green Team network, visit our Google Group. If you’d like to get involved, contact Jason Fults at Jason@ufl.edu or 392-7578, ext. 34.