According to its own waste characterization study in 2006, the state of Georgia estimates that each year it spends $100 million to throw away $300 million worth of recyclables. Now the UGA Office of Sustainability is enlisting, and rewarding, students across campus in the effort to cut down on the waste:

The University of Georgia Office of Sustainability has awarded $26,000 to seven student projects as part of its annual Campus Sustainability Grants Program. The program, funded by student green fees, provides financial and staff resources to implement projects that further the university’s sustainability initiatives.



Now in its third year, the Campus Sustainability Grants Program has helped foster several initiatives, including water bottle refilling stations in the Miller Learning Center, “Dawgs Ditch the Dumpster” residence hall move-out donation program, Tanyard Creek Chew Crew prescribed grazing project for invasive plant removal and Material Reuse Program, which uses salvaged items to construct school and community gardens. To date, the Office of Sustainability has awarded a total of $59,000 to fund 17 student-initiated sustainability projects at UGA.

 

A full list of students award winners, which includes anthropology major Allie Brown, is at the link. But at least as important as the monetary awards is, hopefully, the change in culture among our students and all they people they impact throughout their lives. Sustainability is more than a buzz word - it signals a change in our attitude toward waste, renewable energy and conservation - and campus is the obvious place for us to put its precepts into action.