New Sustainable Solutions Awards given to UF students, staff, faculty

April 22, 2009

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The University of Florida Office of Sustainability today presented nine trophies and several honorable mentions to a wide variety of organizations and departments across campus for their excellent contributions to sustainability at UF.

Dedee DeLongpré Johnston, the office’s director said, “In these depressing budgetary times, we wanted to bring attention to all of the positive work being done on campus. Our Green Team captains are hard at work, developing creative alternatives to some of our wasteful practices.”

The Sustainable Solutions Awards Program was part of UF’s Earth Day 2009 program, and followed UF President Bernie Machen’s annual State of Sustainability address. The awards recognized staff and students in the categories of waste reduction, energy conservation and water conservation. A complete listing of winners and honorable mentions, as well as detailed descriptions of each project, can be found on the Office of Sustainability Web site: http://www.sustainable.ufl.edu/what-can-you-do/SustainableSolutionsAwards-2009.html.

Winning projects not only reduced the university’s ecological footprint, but also collectively resulted in hundreds of thousands of dollars in savings, especially welcome news in these budget-constrained times. In the category of waste reduction, the “Think Before You Ink” campaign won first place, with honorable mention status being awarded to Shands HealthCare, Gator Dining Services, the Office of New Student Programs, Physical Plant Division, and the 2008 UF Community Campaign. Gators for a Sustainable Campus picked up its first of three awards in the student waste reduction category.

In the area of energy conservation, the staff award went to the IFAS Mid-Florida Research and Education Center, with an honorable mention going to the Health Science Center’s Information Technology team. Student Eric Layton received an award for his work with the UF Biodiesel Plant. The Physical Plant’s Grounds Division was also recognized in the category of water conservation.

In addition to the awards for conserving water and energy and reducing waste, staff member Rizan Yozgat and graduating senior Alison Erlenbach received Bright Idea awards for their descriptions of new projects that could also help the university move forward in the area of sustainability. Gators for a Sustainable Campus and the UF Renewable Energy Coalition, the UF Student Alumni Association, and Adrian Erlenbach and UF Student Government also received honorable mentions for their Bright Idea nominations.

The UF International Center was awarded the Most Active Green Team, with honorable mentions for the Building Services Department and Asset Management Services. Finally, Gators for a Sustainable Campus received its third award of the day for the “Most Active Student Group,” with honorable mentions for the UF 2010 Solar Decathlon team and the Animal Activists of Alachua.

The mission of the Office of Sustainability is to make the University of Florida – in its operations, education, research, and outreach — a model of sustainability, integrating the goals of ecological restoration, economic development and social equity. Among its many projects, the Office of Sustainability coordinates a campuswide “Green Team Network,” an effort to involve members of the campus community, at all levels, in achieving a more sustainable university. Participants in the network act as representatives on campus for the university’s ongoing efforts to reduce unnecessary resource use and waste generation. The Office of Sustainability works directly with its nearly 90 Green Teams to develop strategies for sustainability that are a good fit for their colleges, departments, or organizations. For more information about the Office of Sustainability, visit: http://www.sustainable.ufl.edu/.