Spring Has Sprung
By Melanie Stewart
I’m sure I shouldn’t be happy about the fact that we are (again!) having unseasonably warm temperatures, but it’s hard not to be excited about Spring! I love getting out to enjoy the sunshine, watching everything turn green again, seeing early spring flowers emerge, trees flower, and the bright yellow forsythia.
Yay Spring!
Thinking about starting a garden, expanding your current garden, or planting something new? LiveGreen can help!
We recommend starting with a garden plan. You can find free resources online, but often a spreadsheet or notebook will work just as well. Plan where you want to plant, noting sun and water conditions. This is a great place to keep notes during the growing season; recording what worked and what didn’t as well as where you placed vegetables that need to be rotated annually.
If you have plants to split or are looking for new plants check out Benson Plant Rescue. They take damaged or overstocked plants from local retailers, as well as personal donations, care for them and then sell them at a discount. They also sell pots, decorations, and cheap(er) earthworm castings to use as fertilizer. All proceeds help to buy books and technology for children at Omaha Public Libraries, while keeping materials out of the landfill.
The Nebraska Statewide Arboretum is associated with UNL and promotes knowledge and appreciation of all plants in Nebraska. To support this mission they host their annual “Spring Affair,” on April 23rd. It’s the largest gardening event in the Midwest. They have more than 500 varieties of plants (perennials, natives, trees, shrubs, herbs), talks, garden groups, and vendors all in one location.
Have a question about your garden/yard or plant and need an expert? Our Sustainability Expo on April 28th during Earth Week, will feature a Master Gardener and an Arborist from the extension office. Bring your questions and, if possible, a cell phone pic of the problem and they can help with whatever you need. There will be lots of other experts on hand too. Please see our website for information.
I know many of us suffer from allergies, but don’t let that stop you from enjoying the great outdoors! If over the counter remedies don’t work for you, there are experts at both UNMC and Nebraska Medicine that can help!
Zimride Contest Winners
By Melanie Stewart
During a four-week timespan beginning in February, UNMC and Nebraska Medicine staff and students were invited to post a carpool to Zimride, the campus free carpool matching service. Those who posted a new ride during that time were entered into a Zimride contest, with a chance to win one of 5 prepaid MasterCards worth $25 each. More than 100 of you gave it a try, and Zimride chose winners at random. The winners are:
- Emily Chapman, Truhlsen Eye Institute
- Marion Entz-Harris, Lied Hospitality
- Karissa Scott, MMI Cytogenetics
- Amanda Fletcher, Clinical Research Center
- Erik Zingler, M.D., Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences
We shared the love with our “early adopters” and 2 people who had posted rides prior to the contest each received a Nebraska Medicine/UNMC Prize-Pack.
- Victoria Halinski, Procurement
- Loretta England, Heart Center Clinic (who formed a 3-person carpool!)
If you missed your opportunity, don’t fret. You can still find a carpool partner, and that’s the real win. You can save money, wear and tear on your vehicle, save personal time, possibly park closer than you do now, and help to reduce air pollution and traffic congestion in Omaha.
Did you know that Zimride:
- Is only visible to people who work here?
- Is free?
- Doesn’t require you to respond or interact with any potential matches?
- Allows you to post additional details (music preferences, car type, etc.) in order to find a good match?
Both carpoolers can, but don’t have to, turn in their parking permits and park for free in one of the lots they were already assigned to…no downgrading.
If carpooling isn’t your thing, TravelSmart has other options that may work for you. You can walk, ride the bus, or bicycle. Bus rides, including transfers, are free as long as you are travelling to or from campus. Free access to showers and locker rooms is provided, and all participants are eligible for a free emergency ride home so you are never stranded. The free emergency ride home allows one stop, should you need to pick up a child or dependent.
You don’t have to give up your parking permit to participate, but you can in order to save money. On the days you need to drive to campus, you can use Daily Rate Flexible Parking. Just $3 for the entire day allows you to come and go as necessary.
Questions? Email: TravelSmart@unmc.edu
RePurpose It and Earth Week Rides Again
By Melanie Stewart
Let the countdown begin, Earth Day is exactly one month away!
I know you’re all as excited about that as we are, and we hope you will find our lineup of Earth Week activities fun, informative, and potentially prize-winning!
That’s right, today is the first day you can submit your entries for the RePurpose It contest! If possible please send before and after photos with a brief description of what the item was originally and is now. For complete 
information and helpful tips to give you the best chance of winning, please visit our RePurpose It contest webpage.
If you missed our earlier Earth Week announcement lineup and are panicking because you don’t have your project ready to go, don’t worry. There is plenty of time to complete and submit your project so that you have a chance to win. Don’t have a project in mind? Concerned that you’re not crafty, or handy with tools? Good news—you don’t have to be! Visit our RePurpose It Pinterest page to find no-tool/no-special-skill-required ways to repurpose items and make your life easier!
While you are planning for the contest, remember to gather up any electronic items, techno trash or batteries you’d like to recycle (did you change your smoke detector batteries at daylight savings time?), plus papers you want shredded. You can bring all of that to us on one of two (yes, two) days during Earth Week, and disposal of most items will be free of charge. Please see our website for full details.
We will have a bigger, better, indoor Sustainability Expo on Thursday during your lunch hour, with representatives from at least 28 different groups. There will be information on sustainable campus projects, and experts will be on hand to answer your questions and provide information for your home, lifestyle, garden, and yard. It’s all free, and we’ll have food samples, lots of door prizes, and a grand prize for visiting the tables!
You would think those three events would be exciting enough, but wait, there’s more! Come to our campus Energy Goal Celebration with freebies to help you save energy at home, our Arbor Day Celebration with free trees and wildflower seeds, and help City Sprouts plant seeds for a community garden.
See you there!
Revisiting the 5 R’s
By Melanie Stewart
There is an ongoing discussion in Omaha over what to do with yard waste. For most of the past year, it has been taken to the landfill to eventually provide power by burning methane. Before that, it was composted and sold as Oma-Gro. Yard waste was combined with trash in the landfill as a temporary answer to a shortage of CDL-licensed drivers.
Two new proposals to manage trash and yard waste are being considered, and while neither one includes composting, both involve limiting the amount of trash and yard waste collected.
One of the proposals includes every household in Omaha getting two 96 gallon carts with lids, one for trash and one for recycling. Automation would improve the efficiency of pick-up; the trucks could be powered by compressed natural gas, it might result in more recycling, and this should cut down on litter, all of which are positive.
But what about households that discard more than 96 gallons of trash each week? That’s a lot of trash, but easy to achieve when yard waste is included.
Until now, very little attention has been paid to reducing the amount of materials we discard. Each of us has probably at one time or another complained about “putting a bandage” on a problem instead of dealing with the big picture.
Could this be one of those cases? Could we be the solution?
In LiveGreen’s article on the 5R’s, we read that long before we get to recycling, landfilling, or even composting, we can “refuse, reduce, and reuse.” After that, we can recycle, rot (compost), and then send the rest to the landfill.
In order to reduce the amount of trash leaving our homes we generally have to reduce the amount of materials coming in. This can be done a variety of ways; by taking reusable bags to the grocery store, buying fresh local produce instead of prepackaged items, buying only what we need, and using a water filter instead of bottled water. Don’t get me wrong, we’ll still create some waste, but it’s amazing how little effort it takes to produce a little less. With a little more effort it’s impressive what we can do…and having free compost for the yard is great! Generally speaking, these choices are healthier, benefit the members of our households, and more of our money stays here, strengthening our local economy.
Styrofoam Stymied
By Melanie Stewart
Styrofoam is a cheap, light-weight material that is very good at insulating. This makes it a practical option for everything from protecting objects during shipping to keeping your beverage warm.
That’s the (small) upside. The downside:
- The manufacturing of Styrofoam:
- Produces toxic chemicals (from 57 chemical byproducts) that are irritants to skin, eyes, and gastrointestinal and respiratory tracts.
- Chronic exposure can lead to reduced kidney function, blood disorders, depression, headaches and extreme fatigue.
- Contributes to ground level ozone, a dangerous pollutant that’s affecting Omaha
- It’s main component is styrene, which has been classified as a human carcinogen by the EPA and International Agency for Research on Cancer
- The EPA named styrene manufacturing as the 5th largest creator of hazardous waste.
- There are almost no avenues for recycling Styrofoam; it’s a major component of litter and doesn’t breakdown in landfills.
But let’s get back to the good news.
The campus Sustainability Master Plan has a stated goal of reducing food service waste by 90%, which includes eliminating the use of Styrofoam. The Student Senate passed a resolution to have the campus go Styrofoam free in 4 years. UNL recently passed a similar resolution and all four University campuses are currently working to reduce use and eventually become Styrofoam free. Doing so here helps this campus to fulfill our health oriented mission.
I’m excited to report that the transition is already taking place. Coffee cart cups are already cardboard and the cups in the cafeteria and C-Stores are being switched from Styrofoam to cardboard. You’ll start to see that change this week and it will continue across campus.
Sodexo is committed to finding other options for plates and to-go containers. As they do so, it is important to note that we aren’t just a campus. We are a healthcare institution that must adhere to infection control guidelines. We serve a lot of visitors and on-campus personnel that take food out of the cafeteria. That food needs to be safely transported at a proper temperature. We are looking for options that work for everyone.
In the meantime, YOU can make choices to help. At the cafeteria, consider a plate instead of a clamshell, they have almost 65% less Styrofoam. When purchasing for your department, e-Shop now has alternatives to Styrofoam. Don’t forget reusable containers—they’re even better.
Zika Apocalypse?
By Melanie Stewart
Back in December it was unlikely that most of us had heard of the Zika virus. Barely 2 months later, it has become a household term and the World Health Organization has declared a public health emergency.
We now know there was an outbreak of Zika in Brazil, and that it’s transmitted by mosquitoes. In addition to making people ill, it appears to be causing microcephaly, a birth defect resulting in developmental and intellectual disabilities, hearing and vision problems, and seizures. This virus will adversely affect these children and their families for the rest of their lives.
You might wonder why this is a LiveGreen topic.
Zika has been added to a growing list of diseases that have likely seen an increase in transmission due to warmer temperatures. The mosquitoes and bacteria responsible cannot survive in cool climates; but their range increases
as temperatures rise.
Dr. Ali Khan, MD, MPH and Dean of UNMC’s College of Public Health made a presentation as part of UNL’s study into local impacts from climate change. It’s eye-opening and frightening, but don’t let that stop you from looking at it; it’s thorough, easy to read, and directly pertains to what we do.
Tropical pathogens are showing up in oysters caught in Seattle, frogs are dying, there are increases in methylmercury; incidents of West Nile, Malaria, and toxic algae blooms have increased. Lyme disease is spreading rapidly (as seen in the picture above) and there is potential for an additional 2 billion people to be exposed to Dengue. And that doesn’t include people dying from extreme heat, violence related to the above issues, or the increasing number of major storms.
So what can we do?
Everything we do to slow climate change helps. While all of the Med Center’s sustainable decisions have to meet our triple bottom line of helping people and the planet while making financial sense, this is directly tied to health and our mission. Each time you turn off lights as you leave your office, close your blinds on a hot day, power down your computer at night, and TravelSmart to work, you a making a positive choice. Not only do you save energy and help provide cleaner air for everyone to breathe, you are slowing the effects of climate change which helps to slow the spread of tropical diseases.
Thank you for ALL you do to save lives.
For more information, see these resources:
Dr. Khan’s presentation on Climate Change and Health
Dr. Khan’s (and others) video presentations
Dr. Donald Wilhite’s presentation on Climate Change Implications for Nebraska
UNL’s Report: Understanding and Assessing Climate Change, Implications for Nebraska
UNL’s Summary Report from Roundtable Discussions
Earth Week Lineup Announced
by Melanie Stewart
The sun is shining, the snow is melting—it’s time to start thinking about spring! And with spring comes Earth Week at the Med Center.
The LiveGreen Committee is proud to announce this year’s Earth Week line-up, with plenty of time for you to prepare for the festivities.
Friday, April 22nd:
Earth Day is celebrated worldwide and we will celebrate our achievements on campus. We’ve made lots of progress on the energy and water goals in our Sustainability Master Plan.
Monday, April 25th:
The ever-popular RePurpose It contest is back and projects will be unveiled for voting. Anything that has outlived its original intent and been transformed into something else is eligible. In addition to popular vote, specific prizes will be handed out by community groups, so there’s lots of options to win! NEW THIS YEAR: If your project legitimately uses any item from the campus recycle stream (nothing hazardous or dangerous) you will receive an extra 5 votes! Check our website for contest rules.
Tuesday, April 26th 12pm-6pm and Wednesday, April 27th 6am-12pm:
Have items at home you need to get dispose of, and can’t put in the trash? We will accept a variety of items for recycling, click here for complete information:
- Personal electronics will be collected and recycled; hard drives will be shredded. Most items will be free, but there will be a nominal cost for tube TVs, CRT monitors, and hard drives.
- Free personal document shredding.
- Free personal single use alkaline battery recycling.
- Free ‘techno trash’ recycling – computer disks, CDs, and VHS tapes for shredding/recycling.
- Eyeglasses will be collected to be given to those in need.
- Have pop tabs for Ronald McDonald House? Bring those too!
You asked for more flexibility and we heard you. Instead of 1 day this event will now take place over 2 half days.
Thursday, April 28th 11:30am-1:30pm, in Lower Storz:
The Sustainability Expo returns! You requested a more central location and more presenters. Done, and done. Check our webpage for a complete list of topics; new presenters are still being added.
Friday, April 29th
Arbor Day is celebrated across the country but has special meaning Nebraska. We will plant a tree, give away free trees, and more! Check our website for more info.
No matter what your interests are, there will be something for everyone at this year’s Earth Week Celebration and we hope to see you there!
Battery Recycling Just Got Easier
Online form speeds up process, saves time and money
By Melanie Stewart
As you may know, the Med Center collects single use alkaline batteries for recycling. We provide a recycled gallon container, and when it’s full, you would have filled out a chemical tag, called Chemical Safety to provide details, and they come pick it up.
I’m happy to report that this process just got a whole lot easier!
When your container is full, please use the new on-line form to request a pickup. http://app1.unmc.edu/forms/ehs/battery_pickup.cfm
Fill in the appropriate information and hit submit. It’s fast, easy, and you get confirmation that your request has been received. You no longer need to fill out the chemical collection tag. Your container will be picked up at their earliest convenience.
If you are in an area where multiple people ‘manage’ a battery container, please place a note on the lid indicating the pickup has been requested to avoid multiple requests.
If you don’t currently have a container but want to recycle batteries, check with your neighbors. We have a lot of battery containers on campus and there might be one close by you don’t know about. If you do need one, you can use the on-line form to request one. Make sure your building and room are listed and mention that you do not need to have a container picked up, just an empty one delivered.
Don’t forget:
- Only single use alkaline batteries can go into these containers.
- Rechargeable, lithium/nickel ion, watch/button batteries and light bulbs are considered universal waste and must be handled separately. Please contact Chemical Safety to dispose of these (9-4386).
- If a battery is old and appears to have acid buildup or corrosion, please place it in a small plastic bag prior to placing it in the container.
- Only batteries used at the Med Center can go in these containers.
- Batteries from home or personal devices cannot be recycled here. You can contact your local Batteries Plus store as they may recycle them.
- LiveGreen will be collecting personal single use alkaline batteries for recycling during Earth Week, so you can save them and bring them then. Stay tuned for more Earth Week information.
Not located at the 42nd and Dewey campus but still want to recycle batteries? Email LiveGreen@unmc.edu and we’ll help you.
Win Cash with Zimride!
By Melanie Stewart
Many you have probably considered carpooling. You should have heard of TravelSmart by now and so you know you can save lots of money, reduce emissions helping to improve both human health and environmental conditions, all while continuing to park in the same lot you park in now (or a better lot, depending on your carpool partner). Did I mention you can park for free??
So why aren’t you carpooling?
You might need help finding somebody who works on this campus, lives close to you, and works approximately the same hours.
We can help!
Zimride is the free program that can help match you with a carpool partner from this campus.
- It’s free
- Only people from this campus can see your post
- You will see multiple potential matches
- You aren’t required to accept any matches, and you don’t have to communicate with people you don’t want to
- You can post additional information about yourself to make your commute more enjoyable
- Non-smoker
- Music preference
- Type of car, etc.
But wait, there’s more!
If you post a ride between today, February 9th, and March 9th you will be automatically entered to win one of several prepaid Visa gift cards! All you have to do is post a ride and leave it up until at least March 9th. Zimride will randomly select new posts to win a prepaid gift card.
Don’t worry, early adopters! If you’ve already posted a ride just leave it up and you can win too. Zimride will also randomly select somebody who has already posted a ride and you can win a Med Center “Goodie Bag.”
So what are you waiting for?!? Go post a ride and see if you win some money! Then save more cash by giving carpooling a try.
Questions on TravelSmart, carpooling, or this contest? Email us and we are happy to help.
Make Your Super Sunday a Green Sunday
By Melanie Stewart
Are you a Panthers or Broncos fan who can’t wait for Super Sunday? Or do you just watch for the commercials? Maybe you skip it all together in favor of the Puppy Bowl? At least 120 million Americans will be watching the Super Bowl this Sunday and while it’s a marquee event, it also contributes to a large amount of waste.
LiveGreen can help you make your party a little greener with these easy suggestions:
Buy reusable, then recyclable. If reusable plates/flatware/napkins aren’t an option, buy recyclable items made with recycled material. Strive for plastics labeled #1 & #2, as they are more easily recycled. If you have a compost pile, buy compostable items.
Make it Easy. Make sure appropriate bins are conveniently located and labeled so your guests know where to place items when they are through.
Buy in bulk. Buy larger quantities of the items you know you will need. One family size bag of chips is less packaging than 2 small ones and a case of pop is less packaging than two 12-packs.
Plan Ahead. When shopping for the party, make plans for what you need and make one trip, which saves gas and your valuable time. Remember your reusable shopping bags.
Ditch the packaging materials. Make homemade dips, snacks, and party food instead of the premade, prepacked stuff. You’ll reduce waste and eat healthier. Consider letting guests make their own mini-pizzas instead of delivery and serve filtered water in pitchers instead of bottled water.
Buy local. Locally grown produce & meat, locally made bread/buns & cheese, and locally brewed beer reduce waste while supporting the local economy.
Think Healthy. Need some new recipe ideas that are healthy for both you and the planet, but still taste good? Check out LiveGreen’s Recipe page on Pinterest, loaded with lots of new recipes perfect for your party.
Reuse old footballs or gear to decorate. Have team apparel you don’t wear anymore? Make fun reusable tablecloths or napkins, or other decorations.
Carpool to your party.
Buy rated. If you purchase a new television for the big game, buy an Energy Star certified television and used the in-TV adjustments to save energy while in operation.
Recycle the old television. If you don’t have a place to take it now, LiveGreen will be collecting electronics again during Earth Week in April.
