Med Center on the Move Winners
By Melanie Stewart
Med Center on the Move encouraged Med Center employees to try taking an active mode of transportation for one of their commutes each week between April 17th and June 30th. Whether walking, taking the bus, biking, carpooling or a combination of modes, active transportation reduces traffic congestions and pollution, helps keep you healthier, and cuts down on greenhouse gas emissions.
Colleagues listed below won prizes*:
- Natasha Willms, Clinical Research Center, free bike tune-up from Ponderosa Cyclery and Tour
- Emily Cates, Cardiac & Pulmonary Rehab, gym/travel bag
- Amelia Stoltman, College of Nursing, Camelbak water bottle
- Rachael Woodard, Cardiac Cath Lab, walk/bike safety light
- Andrew Schleisman, Pharmacy Residency Program, drawstring backpack
- Ashley Tenney, Respiratory Therapy, hot/cold beverage tumbler
The following TravelSmarties who helped others to sign up also won prizes:
- Carla Snyder, Office of Health Professionals, zippered padfolio
- Fran Higgins, College of Allied Health Professions, walk/bike safety light
- Kevin Finlayson, Cardiovascular ICU, 20 minute massage from the Wellness Center
While these prizes may be gone, you can still use TravelSmart to save money, decrease stress, and improve your health!
Did you know? TravelSmart offers….
- FREE parking for carpoolers (in your same lot!)
- FREE bus passes
- FREE indoor bike parking, shower, and locker access for cyclists and walkers
- FREE emergency ride home if needed
- FREE carpool matching if you need help finding a carpool partner, and
- Convenient $3 daily-rate flexible parking.
Please note that you do NOT have to give up your current parking permit, nor do you need to use active transportation every day to participate in TravelSmart or see the financial benefits.
Speaking of financial benefits, have you ever wondered how much you spend commuting to work? We have a calculator! Just plug in your numbers and the calculator will tell you how much you can save, based on which option you choose and how often you use it. It will also tell you if you will save more money by keeping your current parking permit or turning it back in. You don’t have to do what it recommends, it’s just helping you to make a decision.
If you are interested in active commuting but don’t think it will work for you, contact us. We are happy to help you with trip planning and answering any questions.
*All winners were selected using a random number generator, matching them to the registration report.
Become a LiveGreen Ambassador
Would you like to be a LiveGreen Ambassador?
LiveGreen Ambassadors support UNMC/Nebraska Medicine’s mission to lead the world in creating a healthy future for all by fostering a culture of sustainability at UNMC/Nebraska Medicine, to facilitate the achievement of the Sustainability Master Plan goals. The Office of Sustainability will provide training, resources and support for all LiveGreen Ambassadors who will integrate sustainability into UNMC/Nebraska Medicine by modeling behaviors, providing colleagues with information, helping individuals use tools to implement sustainability initiatives, listening to colleagues’ ideas for sustainability on campus and conveying those ideas to the Office of Sustainability.
FAQs
- What is the time commitment?
The time commitment will vary over the year. The core time commitment will be one training day each year (at Fontenelle Forrest!), supported by UNMC and Nebraska Medicine leadership, and on-going training as needed. Monthly involvement with specific topics is largely up to you. Some months you may have more interest and time to share the current project with your colleagues and listen to their ideas. Other months you may have less time and interest. The design of the LiveGreen Ambassador program allows for fluctuations in your participation based on your availability and interest. - Do I already have to be a sustainability expert? What previous knowledge do I need to have?
No, you don’t need to be an expert and you don’t need any previous sustainability knowledge. The most important characteristic is a desire to help UNMC and NM become more sustainable. The Office of Sustainability will provide you with all the information and technical training you need to get started. - What does the ongoing training consist of?
- One training day each year, supported by UNMC and Nebraska Medicine leadership
- On-going training as needed, typically over the lunch hour
- Occasional online training/TED talks, brief articles, and emails with information
The program is now accepting applications from individuals interested in serving as LiveGreen Ambassadors for a one-year commitment with the ability to re-commit. To apply, please click on this link to answer 3 questions. We’ll respond ASAP and you can then attend a LiveGreen Ambassador workshop to get started. Workshops are held twice a year, currently scheduled for Thursday, August 24th 2017 or Thursday, March 1st 2018. Additional questions? Email LiveGreen@unmc.edu
Going Buggy
If you’ve spent any time outside in the past couple of weeks, you’ve likely seen numerous beetles flying about; they have metallic green bodies, coppery wings, and little white tufts of hair on the side. They are Japanese beetles, and they are a force to be reckoned with.
They have been in the U.S. for almost 100 years, but are just now making their way to the Midwest, as winters haven’t been cold enough to control the larvae/grubs, which 
will damage lawns as they eat the roots. They become adults in June and July and start eating—more than 300 species of plants. You’ve probably noticed the damage on Linden trees—they start at the top and turn the leaves into brown lace. Unlike many insects, they lay eggs in lawns daily for over a month, creating more larvae to eat the roots and more beetles to feast upon plants next year.
Your first instinct is probably to break out the pesticide but hold that thought. The only pesticides that work require special handling, cause damage to humans and the environment when improperly used, and also kill beneficial insects (including pollinators), and are unsafe for edible plants, pets, wildlife, and waterways.
So what can you do?
Get rid of the adults.
- Don’t use pheromone traps; while effective, they will attract more bugs to your yard, as Japanese Beetles can fly 5 miles(!) when motivated.
- Don’t smash or step on them, that also releases the pheromones and will attract more.
- Brush them off and drop them into water with just a bit of dish soap. They die, no muss no fuss, and you stop the damage from the adults now and the eggs they would lay in the future.
Control the grubs without hurting the beneficial insects you are working to attract:
- Apply milky spore. Grubs eat it, die, and release more spores which infect more grubs. It takes 3-5 years to be effective, but provides the best longer-term solution as it becomes established in the soil.
- Apply parasitic nematodes (Heterorhabditis bacteriophora) to your lawn to eat the larvae. They are effective if properly watered in and the ground kept moist.
- Apply Bacillus thuringiensis to specifically kill grubs.
- Use a product containing azadirachtin, the insecticidal ingredient found in neem oil. This concentrated spray is approved for organic use and best of all, it’s non-toxic to honey bees and many other beneficial insects.
- Attract birds. Robins, bluebirds, and others will eat the grubs.
- Don’t overwater, grubs do better when the ground is moist.
- Plant less grass. You decrease maintenance time and expense, and they have less to eat.
TravelSmart Update
By Melanie Stewart
We know the Emergency Ride Home is an important resource to have at your disposal as you use TravelSmart. As such, we expect exemplary service from our provider, but did not feel that this was provided. Happy Cab and the fleet of cabs they manage will now provide this service. The rules for using the Emergency Ride Home will stay the same, though the process for requesting a ride has changed slightly. Full details are provided on our Emergency Ride Home page.
Please note, you will now be asked to provide an account number. This account number is 5 characters long; 9044_ and the last character will be the first initial of your last name. So, if your name is Jane Doe, the “D” in Doe will be the last character in the account number 9044D. If your name is Bob Smith, the last character will be an “S”: 9044S.
If you prefer not to call, you can use Happy Cab’s web booker or their free smartphone app. The same information will be entered, including the process for the account number. Using either device allows real time tracking of your car so you know exactly when you need to be to your pickup spot.
Speaking of pickup spots, the instructions for requesting a ride now include a map of available pickup locations on campus. These locations have a safe place for the car to stop and for you to get in. All locations come with a GPS-correct address to get the car to that exact location.
New this week: bike rack installations! Our new bike racks are finally here and will be installed in 3 locations: the east side of the Admin building, by the north door of Annex 14/Brown building, and inside the southeast corner of the North Doctor’s tower parking garage; next to the circle drive. The bicycle map has been updated to include these locations, as well as the new bike racks installed at the Fred and Pamela Buffett Cancer Center and Lauritzen Outpatient Center.
Finally, if you use Daily Rate Flex Parking, make sure you check your license plate. All Nebraska residents will be getting a new license plate that needs to be updated so you do not get a ticket. Park Omaha allows you to register multiple cars should you change what you drive to campus.
Safe and Sustainable 4th of July
By Melanie Stewart
photo credit: freeimages.com/ClaudiaMeyer
Before somebody accuses me of being a buzzkill, I like fireworks; they never fail to impress me. But they do come with risks. LiveGreen wants you to be safe and sustainable on your holiday; please note the simple tips below.
When it comes to fireworks, leave it to the pros, there are many good shows to watch on multiple days in the metro area. You stay safe and save money.
If you are going to light fireworks at your home, follow these safety tips to reduce your family’s chance of being injured or starting an unintentional fire. Don’t forget to take special care of your pets!
Fireworks contain a variety of toxins and pollutants that can affect you and the environment around us, especially when they make their way to waterways. The compounds in fireworks and their smoke cause cancer, nervous system damage, kidney failure, lung diseases, and skin diseases. Some risks are immediate, especially for asthmatics and people with chronic lung diseases, while others show up over time. The same risks apply to wildlife with aquatic animals being affected more quickly.
To protect yourself, your property and ensure our waterways and local ecosystems are not damaged, properly dispose of all fireworks and never allow them to enter storm drains. Follow Keep Omaha Beautiful’s simple steps.
If you have left over fireworks, don’t forget the Omaha Police Department’s Firework Amnesty Day, usually held the following weekend.
To make the rest of your holiday festivities sustainable, check out these easy tips:
- Buy in food and supplies bulk; don’t forget your reusable shopping bags
- Don’t buy bottled water or individually canned/bottled beverages. Buy and serve in larger containers in reusable cups….and plates/utensils.
- Provide recycling containers for guests.
- Decorate with what you have; don’t buy new. Be creative!
- Leaving home?
- Turn down your thermostat and turn off lights to save energy and money
- Use public transportation and/or carpool to get to your destination
- Eat less meat and more vegetables.
- If you are grilling, electric or propane grills are better than charcoal. If you must use charcoal, but a brand that uses invasive tree species and forego lighter fluid for a chemical free starter.
- For extra bonus points encourage local officials to use biodegradable and gunpowder-free (smoke-free) fireworks, launched with compressed air (it’s what Disney does!)
Safe and Sustainable 4th of July
by Melanie Stewart
photo credit: freeimages.com/ClaudiaMeyer
Before somebody accuses me of being a buzzkill, I like fireworks; they never fail to impress me. But they do come with risks. LiveGreen wants you to be safe and sustainable on your holiday; please note the simple tips below.
When it comes to fireworks, leave it to the pros, there are many good shows to watch on multiple days in the metro area. You stay safe and save money.
If you are going to light fireworks at your home, follow these safety tips to reduce your family’s chance of being injured or starting an unintentional fire. Don’t forget to take special care of your pets!
Fireworks contain a variety of toxins and pollutants that can affect you and the environment around us, especially when they make their way to waterways. The compounds in fireworks and their smoke cause cancer, nervous system damage, kidney failure, lung diseases, and skin diseases. Some risks are immediate, especially for asthmatics and people with chronic lung diseases, while others show up over time. The same risks apply to wildlife with aquatic animals being affected more quickly.
To protect yourself, your property and ensure our waterways and local ecosystems are not damaged, properly dispose of all fireworks and never allow them to enter storm drains. Follow Keep Omaha Beautiful’s simple steps.
If you have left over fireworks, don’t forget the Omaha Police Department’s Firework Amnesty Day, usually held the following weekend.
To make the rest of your holiday festivities sustainable, check out these easy tips:
- Buy in food and supplies bulk; don’t forget your reusable shopping bags
- Don’t buy bottled water or individually canned/bottled beverages. Buy and serve in larger containers in reusable cups….and plates/utensils.
- Provide recycling containers for guests.
- Decorate with what you have; don’t buy new. Be creative!
- Leaving home?
- Turn down your thermostat and turn off lights to save energy and money
- Use public transportation and/or carpool to get to your destination
- Eat less meat and more vegetables.
- If you are grilling, electric or propane grills are better than charcoal. If you must use charcoal, but a brand that uses invasive tree species and forego lighter fluid for a chemical free starter.
- For extra bonus points encourage local officials to use biodegradable and gunpowder-free (smoke-free) fireworks, launched with compressed air (it’s what Disney does!)
Are You on the Move?
By Melanie Stewart
photo: freeimages.com/John Pilge
Have you taken the Med Center on the Move challenge? Med Center on the Move is a campaign encouraging Med Center employees/students to try taking an active mode of transportation for one of their commutes each week.
That’s it, just one trip per week! You pick the day and the mode that works for you.
Whether it’s walking, taking the bus, biking, carpooling or a combination of modes, active transportation helps keep you healthier AND cuts down on greenhouse gas emissions. This campaign aligns with the City of Omaha’s Midtown on the Move, an active transportation campaign for all of Midtown.
Using any of the 4 modes will save you money, allow you to fit exercise into your day and reduce pollution and traffic congestion in Omaha.
In addition to those benefits, if you sign up for TravelSmart* before July 1st you’ll have a chance to win a free bike tune-up at Ponderosa Cycles, a gym/travel bag, a Camelbak water bottle, a walk/bike safety light, a drawstring backpack, or a hot/cold beverage tumbler!
If you’re already a TravelSmartie, refer a coworker for a chance to win a 20-minute massage from the Wellness Center, walk/bike safety light, or zippered padfolio! Make sure they give us your name while signing up.
*We encourage any employee or student to use active transportation. However, please note that only employees and students at the 42nd and Dewey campus are currently eligible for TravelSmart.
Did you know? TravelSmart offers….
- FREE parking for carpoolers (in your same lot!)
- FREE bus passes
- FREE indoor bike parking, shower, and locker access for cyclists and walkers
- FREE emergency ride home if needed
- FREE carpool matchingif you need help finding a carpool partner, and
- Convenient $3 daily-rate flexible parking.
Please note that you do NOT have to give up your current parking permit, nor do you need to use active transportation every day to participate in TravelSmart or see the financial benefits.
If you are interested in active commuting but don’t think it will work for you, contact me. I will be happy to help you with trip planning. We have 1,600 people signed up for TravelSmart so far, so we know that moms and dad with kids, students and people with inconsistent schedules, and business professionals can all use TravelSmart.
It doesn’t have to work for you every day; even 1 day a week, can have a significant impact.
Energy Curtailment
By Melanie Stewart
Though summer hasn’t officially arrived, the heat and humidity have, which means we are in energy curtailment.
That heat and humidity puts extra stress on our systems as these curtailment days are our highest energy-users. Energy curtailment allows us to control our maximum energy demand or “peak”. If we can reduce energy where it isn’t needed, we ensure that everything that needs energy is getting it. Lower energy means lower emissions, better air quality, and better health for our community–our mission. It also saves us money as our utility rates are based on peak use. The maximum of energy we use at any given time determines the rate we pay for the entire next year. I can think of many other things to spend money on, can’t you?
Energy Curtailment can be confusing though. Many have asked, “If we’re saving energy, why is my office so dang cold? Aren’t we wasting energy by keeping spaces cold when it’s so hot?” That’s true of your home, where the system adds cool air and then turns off, waits for the temp to rise, and then adds cooling again.
However, patient care and research spaces require a constant rate of air flow. In buildings with these activities, we combine both heated and chilled air, regulating temperature the way we adjust the water in a shower – adding both hot and cold to create a comfortable temperature. During curtailment, we decrease the amount of heated air we produce, because creating heat when it’s already hot it is a waste of energy. This means some spaces will feel cold. See our website for further explanation.
We need your help! When the outside temperature becomes unbearable, we’ll ask you to help ease the energy load:
- close shades, blinds and curtains whenever possible to reduce solar heat gain;
- lower lighting levels where possible, turn off lights in unoccupied areas and when leaving a room;
- turn off and unplug all electrical equipment not in use (computers, coffee makers, printers, chargers, etc.);
- shut fume hood sashes when not in use; and
- open doors manually instead of using the ADA buttons.
These easy steps combine to have a huge impact, on the hot days and for the year ahead.
If improving health, reducing pollution, and saving money aren’t enough incentives; how would you like the option of pie-ing one of your favorite campus leaders? Stay tuned for more details!
Little Steps Big Impact
By Melanie Stewart
You usually can’t see it, but the Omaha-Council Bluffs metro area has a problem with air quality, especially during the warmer spring and summer months. It is ground-level ozone. When working, playing, or exercising outside, the quality of the air we breathe affects the health of our families, which affects the strength of our businesses, and future economic development.
Ozone located six miles up in the second layer of the atmosphere helps protect us from harmful UV rays. Ozone at ground-level is a pollutant that damages our health, especially for people who already have heart and lung conditions. Ground-level ozone forms when nitrogen oxides from fuel combustion combine with volatile organic compounds, such as fumes from gas and other solvents, and “cook” in the summer heat. Vehicle emissions are one of the leading creators of ground-level ozone.
Ground level ozone can cause a variety of health problems, but tends to affect children, the elderly, people who work or spend large quantities of time outdoors, and anyone with a lung ailment, especially asthma. Ground level ozone also has negative health effects on pets and can damage plants and ecosystems.
On October 1, 2015, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued new air quality standards and tightened the ozone standard.
On an average hot day, the Omaha-Council Bluffs metropolitan area is close to exceeding this new standard for ground-level ozone. If the metro area air quality falls below federal standards, known as being in “non-attainment,” it will result in stricter pollution controls including increased car ownership costs, vehicle inspections, more industry regulation and increased paperwork and reporting for businesses.
The Metropolitan Area Planning Agency (MAPA) runs the Little Steps Big Impact campaign that aims to raise awareness about the ozone problem through education.
Just because you can’t see ground-level ozone doesn’t mean it isn’t there.
By considering the consequences and taking small steps, together we will make a big difference in air quality. This means having a real impact on adult and child respiratory issues, which can reduce health costs.
One of the easiest ways to help is to sign up for TravelSmart! It’s free, we provide a free emergency ride home, you can keep your parking permit if you want, there’s no minimum use requirement, and if you sign up in June, you can win prizes!
“Little Steps” you can take that can have a “Big Impact”:
. You don’t have to give up your usual mode of transportation entirely. Drive smarter. Combine errands; carpool to social events. Only drive when you have to. Consider using alternative transportation by taking the bus, biking, or walking instead of driving by yourself in your car. This is all free with TravelSmart!
. When refueling your vehicle, don’t fill up your tank past the click. Do refuel during the cooler parts of the day so fumes can disperse overnight.
. Choose cleaner-burning renewable biofuels like ethanol and biodiesel. All vehicles can use E10. FlexFuel vehicles can use E10, E15, E30 and E85.
. Avoid idling your vehicle. Even 30 seconds uses more fuel than stopping and starting the engine. Turn the car off when waiting to pick up kids, and go inside instead of using drive-throughs (it’s usually faster anyway!)
. Go electric or manual with mowers, leaf blowers and trimmers if possible or use gas-powered lawn equipment during the cooler parts of the day. Gas-powered mowers release as much as 25% unburned gasoline in the air.
. Keep lids tight on paints and solvents.
Go Play Outside
by Melanie Stewart
photo credit: freeimages.com/BrainLary
Memorial Day celebrations are wrapping up, signaling the unofficial beginning of summer! That means school is out and now the fun challenge of keeping kids occupied (without a screen) is here. Did you know that spending time in nature is great for kids and adults and can improve health? There are lots of inexpensive ways to spend time outside whether you are a seasoned naturalist or a newbie, and you don’t even have to leave the area.
Most of you are probably aware of options like the Henry Doorly Zoo and Lauritzen Botanical Gardens, but LiveGreen would like you to know there are LOTS of options in and around this area: hiking, biking, fishing, bird watching, trains, camping, relaxing, there’s something for everyone. Everything below is linked to easily allow you to find details and make plans for your weekends or staycations (and some have day camps for kids and teens):
- Fontenelle Forest
- Two Rivers State Recreation Area
- Chalco Hills & Wehrspann Lake
- Mahoney State Park
- Hitchcock Nature Center
- Neale Woods – which includes the Millard Observatory
- Heron Haven
- Boyer-Chute National Wildlife Refuge
- Loess Hills State Forest –did you know that Loess is a soil found in only two places on earth?
- Ponca State Park
- Kramper Lake at Danish Alps
- Omaha City Trails
- Prairie View Recreation Area
- DeSoto Bend National Wildlife Refuge
- Gifford State Forest
- Blackbird Marsh County Preserve
- Fremont State Recreation Area
- City of Omaha Parks (lists all parks, locations, and amenities)
- Schramm Park State Recreation Area and Ak-Sar-Ben Aquarium
- Platte River State Park
- Prairie Queen Recreation Area
- Fort Atkinson State Historical Park
- Lake Manawa State Park
- Douglas County Parks with access to rivers
- Lee G. Simmons Conservation Park and Wildlife Safari (Check out the calendar so you can time your visit to see enrichment activities for the Wolves and Bear. Go in the summer but make sure you come back in the fall to hear the elk “bugle”, it’s an experience you won’t forget!)
- Nebraska Game and Parks
Have fun and enjoy your summer!
P.S. Know of something we forgot? Feel free to share it in the comments below!
