Sustainability - Green Notes
Fall 2020 Newsletter
Welcome back, Eco Eagles!
We hope you enjoyed your winter break! The Office of Sustainability has been staying busy preparing for an awesome spring semester! Check out what we have been up to below!
Here is a quick way to start the semester off right! Let us know your thoughts by taking this survey!
Here's what we have been up to!
Green Notes Blog: As of last semester, the Office of Sustainability has a blog! Articles are posted every other week about various sustainability topics. So far, we have published articles over things such as sustainable swaps for the holidays, recycling at TN Tech, and even a guide to being sustainable during a pandemic! You do not want to miss out! Please let us know if there are any specific topics you would like us to touch on in a future article. We love hearing your feedback!
Putnam Proud Clean-up, September 19-26, 2020: This is a community wide clean-up that many organizations from TN Tech participated in. The Office of Sustainability encouraged student organizations, classes, and groups of friends to participate in this annual event hosted by the Keep Putnam County Beautiful Commission. Ten different Tennessee Tech student groups participated this year, for a total of 93 students and 125 hours of cleanup time. The students removed trash from many areas on campus, including the campus wetlands and residential areas, as well as local parks like Cane Creek Park, Franklin Avenue Park, Cinderella Park, and Ensor Sink Natural Area. The participation costs and clean-up supplies were all provided through the Office of Sustainability. We were so happy with the participation during this event!
Members of TN Tech Student Government Association picked up trash from Centennial Plaza.
Sustainability Month, October 2020: Throughout the month of October, students were encouraged to participate in the Project Green Challenge, take the Office of Sustainability’s Survey, and have fun exploring eco-features on campus through the Sustainability Scavenger Hunt. Social media posts were made featuring information on appreciating nature on campus, World Food Day, water conservation and more. The Office also partnered with the Volpe Library to create a book display of works centered on going green. Since it was not possible to host the annual Sustainability celebration in-person this year, the event was held virtually and asynchronously through our website and can be viewed here. While the Costume Bike Trail Cleanup was unfortunately cancelled due to rain, students were still able to participate in the Pollinator Packets pop-up event. The Pollinator Packets included a bookmark made with seed paper, a pollinator coloring sheet, information on pollinators, and more! Additionally, two blogs were written during this month highlighting university recycling and tips for being sustainable during a pandemic.
Students receiving Pollinator Packets during Sustainability Month.
CDL Reading, November 6, 2020: Student workers from the Office of Sustainability partnered with TN Tech’s Child Development Lab to talk about the importance of trees. The students read The Lorax to the Cypress Class. The reading was followed by an outdoor tree activity and the class was given tree-themed coloring activities to enjoy later that day.
Students workers from the Office of Sustainability reading to the Cypress class at the CDL.
Updating the Campus Carbon Footprint: Each winter, the Office of Sustainability uses data related to fuel usage, animal husbandry, paper, utilities and more to determine the carbon footprint. Once collected, this data is input into a Campus Carbon Calculator spreadsheet. Student workers are updating this information now, and will soon have it completed for the fiscal year 2020.
EagleFIT Updates: This semester, the EagleFIT Program has received a complete makeover. From revamping the entire website to creating an entire week centered around EagleFIT, our student workers have been very busy. Some new things that you can look for with EagleFIT include a stronger focus on mental health and well-being as well as general tips for staying healthy. Regularly, you can find posts on the EagleFIT Facebook page full of helpful information on staying healthy while remaining socially distanced. Exciting things are happening soon with EagleFIT that you will not want to miss!
Wings Up-Cycled Student Free-Store: The Office of Sustainability will be opening TN Tech’s very first thrift store this spring! We are currently in the process of setting up the store. This includes building clothing racks, gathering inventory, and sorting out all the logistics. This is a project that we have been collaborating with the Fashion Merchandising Association for. We are so thankful for all the help they have given us! The best part about this thrift-store is that everything will be FREE! Our goal with Wings Up-Cycled is to provide students with an easily accessible place to have all their clothing needs met! Regardless of the situation, every Golden Eagle is welcome to come grab the items they may need (and come say hi to the Office of Sustainability workers while they are at it)! Keep an eye out for clothing donation bins coming soon to a dorm near you! We hope to have this store up and running by after spring break—more information will be shared on our social media very soon!
What can you look forward to from us this semester?
Sustainable Campus Committee Meetings: January 27, February 24, March 24, & April 21. These meetings will be held via Microsoft Teams at 3:30 p.m. Email ttugreen@tntech.edu if you would like the link to join in!
EagleFIT Week: February 8-12
Wings Up-Cycled Free-Store Opening: Late March
Water Week: March 22-26
Earth Week: April 5-9
Earth Day: April 22
Despite the oddity of last semester, we still managed to make the best of it! We hope that you did too! The world of virtual hosting has not been an easy one to acclimate to, but I think that we got the hang of it. So many exciting things are happening this semester, and we are so excited to bring you along with us! Be sure to follow us on social media to stay up-to-date with the Office of Sustainability! As always, please contact us at ttugreen@tntech.edu with any questions, comments, or concerns. We value your feedback, and look forward to hearing from you!
Twitter- @TNTechEcoEagles
Wings Up, Eco Eagles!
