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April 2008 Newsletter

In this Issue:

 

UF’s Sustainable Products Trade Show a Success

Trade Show Highlights Sustainable Products

TradeshowAround 300 University of Florida staff, faculty and students attended the third annual Sustainable Products Trade Show Tuesday in the Reitz Union Grand Ballroom, sponsored by UF’s Purchasing Department.

Last year the event had about 20 vendors. This year’s event hosted 50 UF departments, contract vendors and student organizations, doubling the number of participants. Some of the diverse participants were Mister Paper Office Supply, Graybar, Indigo, UF’s Physical Plant Department and Gators for a Sustainable Campus.

“The show aimed to educate students, staff and faculty about sustainable products, such as office supplies, purchased by UF and people’s options for green products for personal use.” said Lisa Deal, UF’s Purchasing Director.

“We want to start conversations about why purchasing green products is important and what products are available,” she said.

Much of the success of this year’s trade show was attributed to the effort of UF’s Office of Sustainability intern, Melissa Karr, a fourth year political science major, Deal said.

Karr said the reason for the increased effort in this year’s show was to educate UF students, faculty and staff about the variety of products available that are sustainable and also easy obtain and use.

UF’s sustainable purchasing directive was also emphasized at the show, said Deal. The directive reminds departments that the cheapest product is not necessarily the most efficient or sustainable product it can buy.

“We want departments to consider the lifecycle of the products purchased, and to buy products that are long-lasting, yet cost efficient,” she said.

The directive even applies to office chairs. Haworth, manufacturer of Zody, a 98 percent recyclable chair, was at the event showing off its array of chairs. Alan Moore, Haworth’s senior business development manager, said Zody is not only recyclable, but over half of it is made of recycled materials. The company boasts carbon neutrality because they buy renewable wind power offsets, he said.

Mister Paper was another vendor at the trade show, and was at last year’s event as well. Shane Roach, one of the owners of the office supply vendor said, “people buy the cheapest paper they can find. They don’t know they have an option of buying low-priced, eco-friendly paper.”

UF buys about 20 tons of paper form Mister Paper, and the majority is FSC and recycled paper, he said.

Purchasing and Disbursement Services has set guidelines directing the UF community buy recycled products and print double sided copies whenever possible. Departments are urged to purchase products such as remanufactured print cartridges, Energy Star certified appliances and non-toxic cleaning products, according to the Purchasing department’s website.

Deal said she was pleased with the attendance at the event, which has grown each year. She plans to keep the show annual and, in the future, host breakout sessions in which attendees can hear presentations from vendors, and learn more about how to implement the sustainable purchasing directive at UF.

This event shows UF vendors how much the school cares about being sustainable, which, in turn, pushes them to be more sustainable. It is a win-win cycle and the environment claims the victory,” she said.


Gator Grads

Green Graduation Pledge 2008

Green Graduation Pledge

The University of Florida’s Class of 2008 will have something green to think about before tossing their mortar boards. The UF Office of Sustainability is launching its second Green Graduation Pledge Campaign, an initiative that invites graduating seniors to pledge to consider the ecological and social ramifications of their decisions in life and work after college. Seniors who take the pledge will wear a Green Gator Pledge pin during graduation and will become part of a network of alumni committed to this mission.
The goal of this initiative is to foster sustainable behavior in UF alumni, and to spread the culture of sustainability that is quickly growing throughout the Gator Nation. The pledge will be available for signing April 22nd from 10am-2pm on the Reitz North Terrace, and from April 23rd-25th from 10am-2pm in the UF bookstore, where grads can pick up their regalia and their pins. This year our graduates will walk away with diplomas and a commitment to responsible living.


Integrated Pest Management (IPM)

Integral for green building

IPMA Green Schools Workshop was co-organized by Auburn University, the University of Florida IFAS Extension and Texas AgriLife Extension personnel on behalf of the Southern Region School IPM Working group. This workshop was held on February 13-15 in Dallas, TX, and was funded by a National Extension IPM grant secured by the co-organizers for Marketing IPM as Green School Technology. Pest control is usually ignored in the design and building process of a school, yet preventing pest entry by building pest proof schools is one of the most effective methods of pest control.

The workshop brought together architects, engineers, builders, pest managers, city planners and school district personnel from the southern region interested in incorporating IPM as part of the building design process. Participants came from Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas, Washington DC and Wyoming. Materials developed at this meeting will be shared with the Southern Association of School Board Officials at their meeting in April and posted at the Southern Region IPM Center website.

Workshop presentations included:

Participants also visited Hector Garcia Middle School where they were briefed by architect Patrick Glenn of the architectural design firm Perkins+Will on the elements and considerations of constructing a green school. Energy efficiency in lighting, heating and air conditioning were large considerations. Principal Gary Auld gave participants a tour of the facility. However, even this green school dealt with pest problems that largely stemmed from people’s behavior.

The workshop also included breakout sessions. Subgroups were tasked with developing recommendations for 5 areas:

Facilitators presented their group plan and the resulting documents will be posted at the

Southern Region IPM website: http://www.sripmc.org/schoolIPM/index.cfm
Contributed by Jennifer Gillett, Associate Ditrector for the IFAS Statewide IPM Florida Program


The Biggest Saver

Keys Complex wins the energy competition

Biggest SaverKeys Residential Complex is the winner of the 2008 Biggest Saver Energy Contest in University of Florida residence halls. By turning off lights, unplugging computers, and opting for the window instead of the AC, Keys Residential Complex residents saved 1.20 kilowatt hours (kWh) resident/day, or over 14,000 kWh this February (compared with February 2007).

Overall, the competition led by Office of Sustainability Intern, Claire Long, was a great success. 17 out of 24 residence hall communities used less kWhs. Collectively, the residence halls reduced carbon emissions by 340 tons and reduced energy consumption by 24%. That is the equivalent of 56 cars taken off the road for the year. Congratulations to Keys and all the residence halls for their dedication. Let’s see if they can keep it up all year.


 

A Celebration of Earth and Culture

5th Avenue Arts Festival


5th Ave Arts FestivalOn April 19 and 20, 2007, the Gainesville Cultural Arts Coalition (CAC) is hosting the 5th Avenue Arts Festival, an annual celebration of Gainesville’s African American culture. The festival will also celebrate Earth Day, and will include environmental groups from both the Gainesville community and University of Florida. Student organizations, such as Gators for a Sustainable Campus and the Solar Energy Society, are also expected to participate in the festival.

CAC Director, Nkwanda Jah, hopes to increase awareness of sustainability issues within the African American community through the festival. Other CAC programs include the Environmental Ambassador Program, Girl Power, and Young Gentlemen of Distinction.

 


 

Earth Day Everyday

Lights OutEarth Day Network helps make Earth Day meaningful

Earth Day Network is a driving force steering environmental awareness around the world. Through Earth Day Network, people connect, interact, and have an impact on their communities, and create positive change in local, national, and global policies year round. Earth Day is celebrated simultaneously around the globe by people of all backgrounds, faiths and nationalities. More than a half billion people participate in their campaigns every year.

 

 

 

Announcements

News, events, and opportunities
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Sustainability Forum

Question <image>Send us your questions about campus sustainability

Q: I was wondering if you know whether the juice boxes are good for recycling. They look like they’re made of paper but on the other hand they are covered with some sort of synthetic inside. I don’t know if I should put them in the paper bin for recycling or just trash them in the “normal” trash-bin?

A: Unfortunately, these boxes you refer to must go in the trash. The paper on them is very high quality, but because they are often lined with a metal such as aluminum, and they are coated in that waxy plastic, they are not recyclable in our area.

My recommendation is to try to find similar drinks that come in a can or plastic bottle that is recyclable or, better yet, buy your favorite beverage in a larger size, and bring it with you in a re-useable single serve container that you can wash. I think they even sell these in that fun juice box shape.