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.

Sustainable Floridians: New County Extension Pilot Program Hopes to Expand Sustainability Conversation, Action around State

Starting in the fall of 2010, a pilot program, Sustainable Floridians, will be offered through IFAS Extension. Sustainable Floridians will provide a forum for education and action that addresses concerns specific to Florida’s ecosystems, economy and growth at the local and regional scales.

The non-credit adult education program is designed for citizen volunteers who enroll through county extension offices. It is a hybrid of instructor-led sessions and a peer-to-peer model. The instructor-led portion ensures provision of reliable, Florida specific information incorporated into a 7-week curriculum, while the peer interaction section brings in local knowledge, fosters group cohesion, and provides for a more dynamic learning experience.

The program is designed to take advantage of extension service institutional strengths to deliver sustainability programming. These strengths include delivery of sound, reputable information in a network of existing communication channels throughout the state of Florida. County faculty will lead the program with technical assistance from state specialists and with involvement from a lead volunteer who receives special training in advance.

The primary goals of the program include satisfying the demand among citizens for sustainability programs, creating leadership groups within the community to take on service projects appropriate to that community, and providing greater resilience for communities by working with citizens at grassroots level. Each class will pick a group project early on, such as creation of a local eating guide, installation of a rain or community garden, or participating in low-income weatherization projects. Planning and implementing this project is the capstone element of the course. As with other master programs, participants will take on an obligation to contribute a number of hours in service equivalent to the hours received in their education and training, and those who complete all these requirements will be awarded certification.

Article is courtesy of Kathryn Ziewitz, Florida Department of Family, Youth, and Community Sciences

Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill – What Can You Do?

The Gulf of Mexico oil spill is likely the worst environmental disaster the nation has seen, and while the state of Florida has been and will be impacted in ways very different from much of the country, there are also some ways each of us can help.

Visit our UF's Oil Spill Response page for information on what the University of Florida is doing and resources on how to assist with efforts to clean up the Gulf and its wildlife.

UF Celebrates 40th Anniversary of Earth Day, Sustainable Change on Campus

This year’s Campus Earth Day Celebration included herb giveaways from Gators for a Sustainable Campus, clothing donations and hazardous waste collection. There were also educational games, art activities and a number of student and community organizations interacting with passersby. A “Greening Your Career: Bringing Sustainability to the Workplace” panel discussion, hosted individuals speaking on how they had incorporated sustainability principles into their positions, and advice for students about to enter the workforce about how to channel their own passions when they transition.

President Machen gave his annual “State of Sustainability at UF” address, emphasizing the importance of individual action and the part every Gator plays in transforming our university. He commented on the solar panels currently being installed on Powell Hall, and what this can mean for both UF and the community at large. These panels, done in partnership with Progress Energy, not only represent a step toward sourcing energy through renewable means, but to also be an engaging, educational piece for the over 200,000 annual visitors to the Florida Museum of Natural History about the prospects of solar energy in sunshine state.

Additionally he remarked on our continued recognition on the national scene. The University of Florida was most recently included in the Princeton Review’s Guide to 286 Green Colleges.

This year also marked the second year of the Sustainable Solutions Awards. There were a number of notable achievements, and the following list helps reflect some of the efforts, individuals and groups who help champion sustainability here at UF:

Most Active Green Team - Finance and Accounting
Most Active Student Organization - 2010 Solar Decathlon Team
Waste Reduction - Online Swap Meet Program
Student Waste Reduction - Florida Alternative Breaks
Water Conservation - “Can You Take A 5-Minute Shower?” - Water Conservation Pilot Program
Energy Efficiency and Conservation - Physical Plant Division, Retro-Commissioning Team
Student Energy Efficiency and Conservation - Neutral Gator Renter’s Initiative
Bright Idea Award - “Pushing the Envelope” Campaign, Susan Smith
Student Bright Idea Award - Clotheslines at Campus Housing Facilities, Ricardo Brown-Salazar

Congratulations to all of our winners and nominees!

Commencement Goes Carbon Neutral

This year, all Gator graduates will be “green” graduates. Inspired by the carbon neutral 2009-2010 Gator athletic season, the O’Connell Center and the UF Office of Sustainability continue to make strides toward the university goal of carbon neutrality by offsetting the Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, the University Auditorium and the O’Connell Center’s utilities during commencement ceremonies.

“We are always looking for new ways to be sustainable, and we are thrilled to contribute to the university wide goal of carbon neutrality during this premier event on campus,” said Lynda Reinhart, director of the O’Connell Center.

The offsets, purchased through the local nonprofit Neutral Gator and coordinated with assistance from UF’s Physical Plant, help reduce UF’s footprint while simultaneously helping to fund a more energy-efficient Gainesville. Taking such large and interactive events and making them carbon neutral also helps educate the Gator Nation of UF’s dedication to sustainability and how every facet of the orange and blue can go green.

Additionally, more than 350 graduating students signed the Green Graduation Pledge, committing to carry the values of sustainability with them as they move on from the University of Florida.

The Office of Sustainability and the Student Government agency, Gators Going Green, joined to promote the pledge, tabling at various events throughout the spring term and at cap and gown pickup, in addition to adding an online capability to sign the pledge. The site will allow graduates to connect and reflect on sustainability in a global context, as well as stay informed and involved with sustainable developments at UF. A reception was held at Boca Fiesta on April 22 to honor this year’s signatories, foster new relationships, and celebrate these students’ commitment to spread sustainable change.

UF College of Design, Construction and Planning graduates first Sustainability and the Built Environment students

GAINESVILLE, Fla. --- On May 1, Amy Long will walk across the stage at the Phillip’s Center for the Performing Arts to accept her bachelor’s degree from the University of Florida. Just a year later, she plans to earn her master’s degree with the ultimate goal of becoming an urban planner for a Florida city.

Long is a member of the first class graduating from UF with the Bachelor of Science in Sustainability and the Built Environment from the College of Design, Construction and Planning.

The program gives students an important grounding in environmental issues and ideas as they relate to designing and constructing buildings.

Long says what the program teaches is invaluable.

"I started off in architecture, but I realized that we really need to focus on making infrastructure more environmentally sensitive," she says. "Instead of making new things, I wanted to focus on improving what we already have."

Because of the program’s unique structure, Long only will need another year of classes before she can receive her master’s degree in urban and regional planning.

The program includes a capstone course, or final project, which asks students to tackle a problem in the field. Long looked into sustainable energy, but other topics included design of a single family home, how to produce food in a sustainable way and reconstructing New Orleans.

Another unique program feature gives students the choice to participate in either a field experience or a practicum course. Long’s practicum involved working with the UF’s Solar Decathlon Team, a team of faculty and students designing and building an 800-square-foot sustainable home for the Solar Decathlon Europe competition

Christopher Silver, dean of the College of Design, Construction and Planning, says the program provides an outlet for students to build upon their more traditional majors in relationship to the larger society.

"We are trying to find ways for students to be more interdisciplinary because that’s what is happening in the real world," Silver says. "From this program, you can go in many different directions. I could envision these students going on to graduate work in a variety of professional fields."

Peggy Carr, associate dean for undergraduate studies, agrees.

"We think this provides an important grounding in issues and ideas essential in society today and in the future," Carr says. "People now recognize that we can no longer waste resources, and the built environment disciplines captured by our college are huge consumers of those resources. These students have been trained to consider the full impact of those decisions."

Long is an example of this awareness.

"The tools and knowledge that are gained through the program are not just relevant to certain sections of society," Long says. "Sustainability is crucial in all walks of life and has aspects that everyone can relate to. Perhaps the greatest impact that graduates of this program can have is to educate others on the importance on sustainability and the small things that everyone can do to help make a difference in the world."

Writer:Alexandra Layos, news@dcp.ufl.edu, 352-392-4836, ext. 324

Contact:Peggy Carr, mcarr@ufl.edu, 352-392-4836, ext. 308

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