Bettie Johnson Hall wins Dorm Drawdown and first four weekly winners of Ecolympics set the bar!
All hail the residents of Bettie Johnson Hall who won the Dorm Drawdown by reducing their electricity use by 8% from February 7-27! They edged out Community Park (1.5% reduction) and Billy Minardi (0.6% reduction) to take the gold medal. They’ll enjoy a pizza party, and you can still win one of the remaining weekly prize baskets or the grand prize! Take action, share about it, and you could win through March 26th!
The Sustainability Council’s annual campus engagement challenge, Ecolympics 2022, is at its half-way mark. All students, staff, & faculty are encouraged to take action throughout February & March. Post about your green actions on social media, tag @UofLsustainable, or submit them via our online form to be entered to win one of 8 weekly themed prize baskets or the grand prize bicycle!
This is the excuse you've been waiting for to stretch yourself to try something new: air-dry laundry, compost, bike, walk, carpool, take the stairs or bus, shut off computers & lights, unplug, shop and eat local, reduce, reuse, recycle, work for justice, etc.
All Hail Our First Four Winners!
Chemistry GRA, Richard Lumata, was the first of eight weekly Ecolympics winners. We were inspired by his highly creative entry, describing the beautiful art he makes out of discarded packaging and objects, natural materials, and ground eggshells. He’s won the plants & seeds prize basket. Be like Richard. Share your sustainable actions, inspire your friends, and you could win! Check out Richard’s sustainable art on social media @UofLSustainable.
REACH Student Ambassador Emily Nuñez won our 2nd week prize basket with a whopping 10 sustainable actions, including using reusable bags, bottles, and towels; unplugging electronics; and reusing grease in bird food)! Way to go, Emily!
The 3rd week was won by Philosophy professor, Brian Barnes, who has managed UofL’s Community Composting Project since 2010, and is always encouraging others to consider the advantages of composting organic wastes rather than landfilling them!
Congratulations to Education professor David Royer for winning the 4th week’s camping & outdoors prize basket! David keeps a set of reusable silverware (including chopsticks and metal straws) and a cloth napkin in his desk for lunch; and a second set for loaning when he eats with colleagues so no one has to use disposable utensils.
These types of actions have allowed UofL to dominate the national Campus Race To Zero Waste!, where we are currently in 10th place (out of 75 schools reporting) in the Diversion category, with an astounding landfill diversion rate of just over 60%! The competition runs through March 26th and our special E-waste Recycling Drive runs through March 16th! Don't send your old electronics to the landfill! We have special collection points set up in the SAC W310, Duthie Center (1st Floor Student Study Area), HSC Kornhauser Library (1st floor lobby behind the elevator), 
Ekstrom Library (Lobby at Starbucks entrance, small items only), and Urban & Public Affairs (426 W. Bloom St., 1st floor central hall by vending). Stop by any time to drop off any of the following types of electronics for recycling: all computers, monitors, televisions, printers, copiers, scanners, servers, networking equipment, fax machines, telephones and cellphones, RAM/memory, hard drives, battery backups, and peripherals such as keyboards, mice, speakers, AC adapters, and mixed computer cables/wires. We are partnering with UofL's eSports Club to help you Trash the competition, not the planet!
You could be the next weekly winner or win the grand prize by posting your actions & tagging @UofLsustainable, or submitting online.
