One day isn’t enough to celebrate the earth, so the UF Office of Sustainability is dedicating the whole month.
The Office of Sustainability highlighted April as Earth Month for the first time Wednesday on the Plaza of the Americas.
Members of the UF Solar Decathlon Team showcased their model of a solar-powered house Tuesday as part of Solar Living Day. And Wednesday, the Office of Sustainability hosted Campus Earth Day.
There were various student organizations in attendance, along with free food catered by Gator Dining Services. There was also a Champions for Change Awards presentation and a speech by UF’s Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Charlie Lane.
Over the past 11 years, UF has built more energy-efficient buildings, expanded bus ridership and greatly increased recycling, Lane said.
Even with these accomplishments, Lane urges UF to continue working toward being more sustainable.
“What’s really important is that students who recycle, ride the bus or learn about composting will embrace these actions for the rest of their lives,” Lane said.
Lane outlined the five ways that UF will be stepping up its sustainability efforts in the upcoming year. The first way, he said, is to add electric vehicles to UF’s fleet and for electric vehicles to make up 10 percent of UF’s fleet within five-to-10 years. If they were solar powered, even better, he said.
In addition, Lane plans on creating new tools for faculty and staff to eliminate unwanted junk mail, expand composting on campus, increase ridesharing, expand campus student gardens and build a food pantry for students in need.
Another way UF plans to increase sustainability efforts is to add a class on climate change as a part of the core academic program for undergraduates, Lane said.
Matt Williams, the director of the Office of Sustainability, said he was pleased with the turnout of the event and the organizations that participated.
This year, more than 19 organizations participated, and 20 awards were presented.
“(Campus Earth Day) provided great examples for how people can get new ideas and celebrate what they have already done,” Williams said. “It’s forward looking for what we can accomplish.”
The month’s next event will be H2Oh! A Water Awareness Event, which will be held on Wednesday from 10:00 am – 2:00 pm on the Reitz Union North Lawn.
[A version of this story ran on page 5 on 4/10/2015]
Correction: The original article incorrectly stated that UF's goal is to have solar powered vehicles make up 10 percent of UF's fleet in ten years. UF's goal is to have 10 percent of its fleet be electric in five to ten years.
The original story also incorrectly listed the number of awards given as eight instead of 20.
Finally, the next upcoming event for Sustainable UF is H2Oh! A Water Awareness Event, not official Earth Day on April 22.
Dr. Charlie Lane, senior vice president of UF, speaks to a crowd on Plaza of the Americas on Wednesday about UF’s sustainability achievements and goals. “What’s really important is that students who recycle, ride the bus or learn about composing will embrace these actions for the rest of their lives,” Lane said.
