2019 Green Week Exhibit- “Sustainability by the Numbers”
As a part of Green Week, chalk graphics were drawn on Business Row to bring awareness to sustainability-related programs on the University of Mississippi campus. Read the information below for more information about the featured programs.
Green Grove Volunteers
The Green Grove program facilitates recycling on game day in the Grove and in the Circle. Student volunteers conduct outreach related to recycling and help sort recycling after the game. As a university, we participate in the EPA Gameday Challenge–a recycling competition among colleges and universities. You can help by volunteering, applying for a leadership position within Green Grove, or just by recycling your plastic bottles, aluminum cans and Solo cups on game day. It is just that easy!
Applications for Green Grove Team Leaders are currently open! Applications are due at 11:59 pm on May 15th, 2019. Click here to apply!
Bus Ridership
The Oxford University Transit (O.U.T.) system connects campus and Oxford. O.U.T. offers several on-campus lines to get you where you need to go. This service is free for students and university employees. Learn more about O.U.T bus lines here.
Support for Underrepresented Groups
A key aspect of sustainability is social wellbeing. The health of our communities and the people in them is intertwined with the environment in which they live. All voices are important in the global conversation about sustainability.
The University of Mississippi has several programs and departments that provide support for underrepresented groups: The Center for Inclusion and Cross-Cultural Engagement, the Office of Equal Opportunity, Veteran Services, M-Pride and Allies, Counseling Services, and Student Disability Services.
Compost Program Waste Diversion
More than 40 percent of food in the U.S. is thrown away. So, what’s the problem? In a landfill, layers of trash block the flow of oxygen to decomposing food scraps. This results in the release of methane, a potent gas that traps heat in the atmosphere. Food in a compost pile breaks down naturally, greatly reducing the impact of your breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Since its establishment in 2013, the UM Compost Program has diverted more than 125,000 lbs of food waste from landfill. The program began as a pilot project that was proposed by a student to the UM Green Fund, and was so successful that it became an initiative of the Office of Sustainability and now composts pre-consumer food waste from seven different campus dining locations.
Learn more about the UM Compost Program, including volunteer opportunities and options for purchasing compost,by clicking here.
Student Sustainability Volunteer Hours
Our office is very thankful to the effort of our many passionate volunteers. Anyone can volunteer with our office, whether a student, member of faculty or staff, or an individual from the community. We have regularly occurring volunteer opportunities through the Green Grove and UM Compost programs, but we also occasionally have other opportunities as well, including work days at the Woodlawn-Davis Nature Center, and others.
If you are interested in volunteering but don’t know where to begin, or if you would like to inquire about a particular opportunity, email green@olemiss.edu. Learn more about how to get involved with Sustainability at the University of Mississippi here.
Sustainability Related Minors
While every course of study has a relation to sustainability, there are two minors at the University that have a specific focus on sustainability: Environmental Studies and Disaster Sciences.
Disaster Sciences is a brand new multidisciplinary minor that exposes students to the science and practice in fields such as emergency management and disaster mental health. The minor promotes an integrated understanding of human behavior before, during, and after disasters, and an enhanced ability to work effectively across disciplines in diverse disaster-related socio-political-cultural-economic contexts. Learn more here.
The Environmental Studies minor is an interdisciplinary course of study that has courses in humanities, social sciences, and sciences that focus on diverse aspects of environmental thought, research, and awareness. Study topics from poetry and public policy to hydrology and whaling. Environmental Studies minors major in a diverse range of majors. Learn more here.