Orange and blue make green?

February 4, 2008

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The University of Florida Office of Sustainability hopes the Gators’ competitive spirit will boost greening efforts on the UF campus. A university-wide national contest and a local residence hall challenge will give Gators the opportunity to prove the “green” of the Orange and Blue.

In a contest named “The Biggest Saver: Battle of the Halls Energy Challenge,” students in residence halls will see who can have the greatest reduction in one month’s energy consumption. The contest measures kilowatt hours per day, per student. The contest began Feb. 1 and will end on March 10. The winning hall will receive a trophy and celebration with food and prizes.

The goal of the contest is not only to reduce energy consumption but introduce sustainable practices into the students’ lives. It is sponsored by Gators for a Sustainable Campus and the Department of Housing and Residence Life.

UF also is participating in a 10-week competition with more than 350 other colleges and universities to see who can recycle the most. “2008 Recyclemania” pits schools against each other in several contests, ranking them on recyclables per person, pure tonnage of recyclables, amount of trash per capita and more. Last year, UF placed first among SEC schools in per capita recycling and third overall in gross tonnage of recyclables.

This year’s campaign includes promotion in Gator Dining Services facilities, residence halls and home basketball games, as well as an aggressive, volunteer-run educational campaign. The campaign ends April 5.

“It is exciting to see so many great sustainability programs and campaigns going on at UF,” said Anna Prizzia, coordinator of UF’s Office of Sustainability. “It shows how much the students care, and that there really is a culture of sustainability at UF.”

For more information, visit www.recyclemaniacs.org. Students interested in getting involved should contactrecyclemaniaUF@gmail.com.