FIU earns kudos for its green efforts

The university recently won second place at the Green Office Makeover Contest.

FIU’s environmental sustainability efforts were recognized May 12, when the university took second place at the Green Office Makeover Contest presented by the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce and Office Depot.

“There was a tie for first place and after some debate, we got second place,” said Ali Dutton, sustainability program assistant for FIU’s Sustainability Committee.

Dutton submitted an essay as part of the university’s entry detailing FIU’s green initiatives, such as the GreenRide carpool program, and documentation like FIU’s Climate Action Plan and the Greenhouse Gas Inventory.

There currently are almost 1,800 people enrolled in the GreenRide program, which translates to a saving of about 574,000 pounds of carbon dioxide from getting released into the atmosphere since Jan. 1, 2010. The program launched two summers ago.

FIU also recycles approximately 108 tons of materials (including all paper, boxboard, cardboard, plastic and glass bottles, and steel and aluminum cans) each month. Batteries, printer cartridges and even tree trimmings are recycled at select locations on campus.

Coming up

Dutton says the committee continues to work to further these efforts and meets every month to discuss new ways to decrease FIU’s carbon footprint.

A pilot program in partnership with OfficeMax, one of the university’s supply partners, is set to launch July 1 and will replace cardboard boxes with reusable totes when delivering on campus.

The Sustainability Committee also is working on a university-wide greenhouse database that will gather gas emission information on campus.