GREEN UH DAY BETTER THAN EVER
Students
poured into Butler Plaza on
Thursday, October 28, for the third
annual Green UH Day. This year was
the biggest turnout to date for the
event celebrating the hard work of
UH and its partners in creating a
greener and more sustainable campus.
�The event was absolutely
spectacular,� said Maria Honey,
University Services Marketing
Manager. �Not only did we have our
Cougars show up in droves, we also
had a lot of participation from
departments, student organizations
and from our campus partners.�
University partners Coca-Cola,
Honest Tea and Today�s Business
Solutions passed out goodies to
passing students promoting their
company�s efforts in going green.
Many departments around campus set
up tables along the walkways showing
their green initiatives and
encouraging participation in their
programs, including Green Commuting,
UH Dining, Green Facilities (Plant
Operations) and Sustainable
Bookstore. Green IT challenged
students to �Crack the Code� or show
their Green UH spirit by getting
their face painted.
�It gets better every year,� said
Reatha Brown of the UH IT Technology
Partners Program. �Each time they
add something new.�
Green UH face painter and member of
the Technology Partners Program Mary
Dula said, �The students are so
enthusiastic � that�s the best
part.�
The HRM Green Team (Hilton College)
set up treats in their �Fish it Out�
tent, inviting students to dig for
worms and hook a bottle to enter a
drawing for prizes including a
dinner at Eric�s Restaurant. Across
the walkway, students could put
their name in a drawing for a
bicycle at the table for UH
Department of Public Safety.
�The event went very well,� said
Stephanie Carpenter, office
assistant for the Fire Marshall�s
office at UH Department of Public
Safety. �Our goal is to get green
awareness out and show people the
Department of Public Safety goes
green as well. We were really proud
to be a part of Green UH Day.�
Festivities moved to the campus
community garden at noon for the
garden dedication. C.L.A.S.P.
members and volunteers shared their
reflections on the garden and
expressed gratitude to the UH
faculty, staff and partners who
helped make it possible.
Participants watched as students cut
the ribbon to conclude the ceremony.
�It�s a beautiful site,� said
Patricia Gallegos, one of the
students attending the dedication.
�People that pass will get a chance
to see and participate in what UH
offers and appreciate agriculture.�
Back at the plaza, representatives
of the Department of Earth and
Atmospheric Sciences prepared a
weather balloon. People gathered to
watch as the balloon flew into the
sky.
At the Make a Green Difference
table, students were given stickers
with the statement �Full Bin? Call
713.743.4948 to report a full
recycle bin� to be placed on
recycling bins across campus. The
service project is meant to engage
the UH community by providing a way
for reporting when they see a full
bin. This will help the UH Recycling
team adjust the frequency for
emptying the most used recycle bins
and help prevent people from
throwing their recyclables in the
trash instead.
Throughout the day, one of the most
popular attractions were the
recycling games where students could
win tickets and claim their prize.
The University Services student
marketing team spent weeks preparing
oversized horseshoes, ring toss,
skee ball, tic-tac-toe, labyrinth
and bowling games for students to
enjoy.
�They are the most dedicated,
hard-working and passionate students
on campus and we are very lucky to
have them,� Honey said about her
student workers. �They help us to
promote and market not only Green
UH, but all the services under
University Services. This event is a
testament to the passion they have
for this campus.�
Green UH Day brought people in all
areas of the university together to
reflect on the work that has been
done to make the campus more
sustainable and set goals on how to
keep striving for more.
�We are embracing what we have
accomplished and it is becoming a
part of our culture and how we do
business on this campus,� Honey
said. �If we continue, we won�t lose
it. I think we�re at the cusp of
making a real change.�
University Services hopes to
continue the momentum from Green UH
day into the Spring when
RecycleMania kicks off on Jan. 19
and finish off the school year
strong with the Earth Day Carnival
on April 21.
For more information on University
Services, visit www.uh.edu/us. For
more information on Green UH, visit
www.uh.edu/green.
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