Campus Sustainability Day to Feature Interactive Displays

The University of Virginia will mark Campus Sustainability Day on Wednesday with interactive presentations on U.Va.’s environmental efforts and accomplishments.

Activities and presentations will start at noon in Newcomb Hall’s South Meeting Room. At 12:30 p.m., David Neuman, architect for the University and Cheryl Gomez, director of energy and utilities for Facilities Management will give an overview of the University’s sustainability initiatives, and Julia Monteith, a professional planner in the Office of the Architect, will present the U.Va. Green Guide, an interactive map application that uses pop-up windows to detail various sustainability projects around Grounds. Local and seasonal refreshments, compliments of U.Va. Dining, will be available throughout the event.

“We know people are busy during the day, so we structured it to allow people to breeze in and out,” said Nina Morris, the sustainability coordinator at Facilities Management.

Among the activities planned are interactive stations with students and faculty members presenting various aspects of sustainability on Grounds. Environmental sciences graduate student Allison Leach will demonstrate how people can measure their nitrogen footprint.

Student volunteers will conduct a waste-sorting challenge, in which contestants determine in which category of waste an item belongs, and a water-tasting contest, in which contestants try to discern which sample is bottled water and which came from the tap.

Attendees may document their commitment to sustainability by having their photo taken with their personal pledge written on a U.Va. pledge board. Hundreds of people across Grounds have already been photographed with their pledge, including U.Va. President Teresa A. Sullivan and Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Pat Hogan.

The University’s Campus Sustainability Day activities are sponsored by U.Va. Sustainability and the Office of Community Relations and are free and open to the public.

Media Contact

Matt Kelly

Office of University Communications