Campus Sustainability Month

UNMC will join campuses in are celebrating Campus Sustainability Month this October. Hosting Campus Sustainability Month in October is a nice juxtaposition to Earth Month in April, and often serves as a catalyst for student involvement on campus. 

Academic campuses are essential drivers to the environmental movement. In large part, Colleges and Universities’ interests in sustainability stem from student interests; UNESCO reports that 91% of students agree that their higher education institution should actively pursue and promote sustainable development. Academic institutions pursuing environmental sustainability and climate change resiliency often partner with their local communities, which has positive effects on not just the campus, but the residents, municipalities and land surrounding the institution as well. 

Like everything else, Campus Sustainability Month will look different this year as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. This year, we would like to invite you to become a LiveGreen Ambassador, where you can join the team that is helping us achieve our 2030 sustainability goals. As an ambassador you: 

• Model sustainable behaviors 
• Share information and discuss with colleagues
• Help implement sustainability initiatives through personal communication

            We can’t reach our goals without you. Trying out the ambassador program with our orientation in October is a great way to learn more about sustainability at the Med Center, and help us transform our system. 

We have the following activities planned, and would like to share other opportunities to engage in sustainability more broadly: 

1. LiveGreen Ambassador Workshop: If you are interested in becoming an ambassador, or already are one, we are hosting a virtual workshop on October 15^th. Email LiveGreen for more information.
   
   
2. People’s EcoChallenge: You can join the Med Center’s team that will compete in the People’s EcoChallenge, a month long virtual challenge (Oct 7th – Oct 28th) where participants pledge and then record a variety of sustainable activities. Friends and family are welcome too!
   
   
3. CleanMed – Cleanmed is a conference run by two non-profit organizations designed to explore environmental sustainability in the healthcare sector. Traditionally, these conferences have a cost to attend, but this year, CleanMed is hosting six, free, virtual sessions on sustainability in healthcare. Register for the virtual sessions, and join us for discussion circles following. 

CleanMed Sessions in October:

• October 7th: Resilience from farm to plate
• Oct 14th: Rethinking supply chains in response to COVID-19
• Oct 21st: Collaborating to build resilient health care 
• Oct 29th: Clinical Sustainability: Environmental Stewardship at the Bedside