Can you believe that the holidays are already approaching? I’m looking forward to this special season to enjoy celebrating with my family and friends, eating delicious food and reflecting on the year coming to an end.
As you engage in your holiday traditions, I encourage you to be mindful of your actions and the resulting environmental impact. Family time and holiday decorations are treasured traditions, while over-consumption is not. We have included five tips for a green holiday in this issue to help you make this season a little more environmentally-friendly.
We wish you a very happy and green festive season!
Shannon Geison, Editor
Texas CityLab Gives Students Hands-on, Real World Experience
This initiative of UT Austin’s Center for Sustainable Development offers an invaluable applied learning program. It is based upon drawing interdisciplinary resources at the university to provide novel and creative solutions to local communities. Hook ‘Em Green editor, Shannon Geison, sat down with Sam Day-Woodruff, the graduate student on the program.
In a small green house next to the Tower, UT Aquaponics is growing a whole variety of fish and vegetables. The project was started just one year ago, and is completely student-run. Using a combination of hydroponics and aquaculture, these students have created an impressive self-sustaining system.
The University of Texas at Austin has 13 LEED-certified buildings on campus and five LEED-certified buildings that are still in the design phase. This means that UT has over 2.3 million square feet of campus that are dedicated to environmental and energy-friendly design.
The Greening of a UT Department
The Charles A. Dana Center at The University of Texas at Austin is no stranger to engaging in life-changing, community-focused work. The center supports and develops high quality math and science education initiatives for typically under-served communities. Getting involved in the Green Offices program was a natural path for this driven and committed department.
With a large focus on gift-giving and decking the halls, the holidays can be a difficult time to be environmentally-friendly. Here are five tips to help you make a commitment to having a greener holiday this winter:
Give experiences. Instead of toys and clothing that consume a lot of materials and packaging, think about giving the gift of an experience to those on your gift list. This could include a zoo membership, event tickets or art classes.
Create your own wrapping paper. Wrapping gifts in shiny wrapping paper might look pretty, but ultimately creates a lot of waste. Try using materials you already have around the house to wrap your gifts such as newspaper or paper grocery bags. You can even draw on paper bags or paint newspaper to give it a custom design.
Go on a nature walk. With family and friends coming in for the holidays, it might be hard to keep everyone entertained. Planning a nature walk or a hike is a great way to get people out of the house and unplugged during this holiday season.
Turn on holiday lights at the right time. Holiday lights are beautiful, but should not be on all day. Be sure to turn lights off during the day and only turn them on at night to save energy.
Send e-cards. Save paper by creating an e-card to send family and friends instead of printing out hundreds of cards that will probably end up in the trash.
The Office of Sustainability at The University of Texas at Austin collaborates to advance ideas and programs that transform the physical, social and educational environments of campus for the enduring benefit of society and the planet.
Editor Shannon Geison Designer Laura Bowman Communications Coordinator Merry Bateman
