UF-themed cards make season greetings green

December 2, 2008

A flurry of snowflakes canvasses the sky around Century Tower and University Auditorium while white Christmas lights illuminate each building’s outline.

This magical winter-wonderland scene may be viewed on University of Florida-themed holiday e-cards.

For the second year in a row, Gators may spread holiday cheer with e-cards that are available online at www.identity.ufl.edu/gatorNation/cards.html.

This year’s cards feature Century Tower, University Auditorium and a variety of Gator graphics fashioned for the holiday season.

An e-card with animation also has been added to this year’s selection. However, the recipient’s computer must have flash capability in order to view the animation.

“By providing a selection of electronic cards, we are offering a lot of options to the campus community. The cards are designed so people can customize them for their college, office or business unit,” said Joe Hice, associate vice president of marketing and public relations for UF.

The versatility of e-cards has recently made them popular. According to the Greeting Card Association, approximately 500 million electronic cards were sent last year.

The UF e-cards are more than just an easy way to spread personalized holiday cheer; they help make the world a greener place.

“Every holiday season, companies send enough greeting cards to fill Ben Hill Griffin Stadium,” Hice said. “That means we create mountains of waste and kill millions of trees in doing so.”

Sending an e-card in place of a traditional paper card can reduce an individual’s carbon footprint along with the university’s.

UF’s carbon footprint recently was reduced on Nov. 15. Two hundred trees were planted near the Everglades in an effort to offset the carbon emissions from the University of South Carolina football game.

This project was part of the Neutral Gator Initiative, a program co-sponsored by UF’s Office of Sustainability, which aims to counteract emissions from UF’s 2008 home football season.

The 30 volunteers for the project helped reduce a portion of UF’s environmental footprint. Now individuals may do their part by sending a UF-themed holiday e-card instead of a paper card.

“It’s not that printed greeting cards are bad; they aren’t. It’s just that the Internet can deliver that same message of hope and good cheer electronically — no trees or trash involved,” Hice said.