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.