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Last year was a busy year for LiveGreen.
There were very successful Earth Week activities. UNMC recycled more than 8,500 pounds of e-waste, personal documents and single-use batteries — that’s the weight of 3.5 giraffes. By recycling these items, the UNMC community prevented 11 metric tons of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere, which is equivalent to the emissions produced by burning 1,230 gallons of gas.
UNMC LiveGreen also collected hundreds of pairs of used eyeglasses in good condition that were donated to people who can’t afford their own. We planted a tree, helped people dispose of old pharmaceuticals, and arranged a presentation on sustainable landscaping.
LiveGreen conducted three sustainability-related “LiveGreen Scene” lunch and learn events, which were attended by a total of 325 people. Missed them? They are available with past LiveGreen Scenes on the LiveGreen website.
By promoting “Ozone Awareness Days” (Metropolitan Area Planning Agency’s Little Steps Big Impact campaign), LiveGreen helped call attention to ozone pollution. Ozone alerts were issued several times this summer here in Omaha. Not only does ground-level ozone harm the environment, it’s bad for a person’s health. Taking public transportation reduces ozone pollution, and bus riders were rewarded with 50-cent fares.
LiveGreen has always promoted using less paper, but UNMC staff and students who must print or copy can now use certified recycled paper, which is available in General Supply and via eShop.
UNMC lab workers know that fume hoods take the conditioned air from labs and exhaust it straight out of the building — necessary, but not energy efficient. “Shutting the Sash” when the fume hood is not in use helps to reduce the energy needed while keeping workers safe. And workers can get rewards from the Sash Fairy; check out the pictures.
UNMC LiveGreen also presented at the UNMC Management Series, sent out more than 200 Green U’s, participated in new employee orientations and promoted Energy Curtailment by handing out treats.
Keep reading our Tuesday stories in UNMC Today as we have a lot of exciting projects coming up this year, and be sure to check out our helpful resources on the LiveGreen webpage.
Want to be involved? Want to be the first to know about new things? Sign up to be a volunteer or to be added to our listserv by emailing LiveGreen.