The UF Office of Sustainability is expanding by planning a new resource to help UF departments become more environmentally conscious.
The Green Recognition for Offices and Workspaces Initiative, to be known as GROW, will be a program designed to help offices, labs and other facilities improve UF’s sustainability certification.
“It’s pretty much the units on campus that want guidance or resources that can help their office become a little more sustainable,” said Allison Vitt, outreach and communications coordinator for the Office of Sustainability.
GROW is still in its beginning stages. It will look at areas within the workplace, such as energy use, water use, transportation and waste to create more sustainable practices, Vitt said.
She used the College of Journalism and Communications as an example, explaining it uses a lot of paper. Vitt said GROW can tailor its program to fit the needs of each workplace and help meet specific needs while remaining sustainable.
Another sustainability issue includes lab equipment that run continuously, like freezers and ventilation systems because they require more energy use, Vitt said.
The UF Interdisciplinary Center for Biotechnology Research already has its own green team and reduces waste by recycling and using reusable plates. It is planning to sign on to work with GROW, said Linda Green, the center’s associate director for science.
“It’s all about progress,” Green said.
Vitt said there will be a GROW brainstorming session at noon on Feb. 18. The location is to be determined.
[A version of this story ran on page 6 on 2/11/2015 under the headline “IFAS to introduce new green program"]
Correction: In the original story, the headline incorrectly mentioned that IFAS introduced the program. Additionally, Linda Green is the center’s associate director for science, not emerging science.
