Along with the ushering in of the new fall season, UNC Charlotte is beginning its annual Sustainability Week. The week’s events include environmental service opportunities for students, faculty and staff to protect the campus of UNC Charlotte and the greater area.
This week encourages all members of the UNC Charlotte community to take initiative in cleaning up campus. Oct. 16 is dedicated to “Campus Cleanup;” however, the University encourages students to practice this each day. Trash stations located at the McMillan Greenhouse, Laurel Hall and Motorsports Lab allowed Niners to keep campus clean.
Sustainability Week also involves educating volunteers on easily preventable environmental problems. Volunteers learned how to correctly band trees in order to deter enemy cankerworms by attaching barriers to at least 80 oak trees on campus. Tree banding is the process that prohibits female cankerworms from laying eggs in trees which can cause the tree to die.
The Light-Rail system was utilized as an example for the community to showcase the benefits of public transportation. The Transportation Fair is aimed for public transportation organizations, such as the Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) and Charlotte Wheels Bikeshare, to provide answers to common questions that people may have about the local transit system. Utilizing public transportation is critical for developing a sustainable culture.
One of the main goals for sustainability week is to encourage students to take better care of their campus. The “Student Gathering” event on Oct. 18 provided a forum for student organizations to collaborate with one another to advance campus sustainability. Along with free food, pumpkin carving and other activities, this event guided students towards a common goal to be advocates for the future of UNCC.
On Oct.19, BES Recycling Facilities housed the annual Electronic Waste (E-waste) Collection. UNCC Facilities Management provided a space for students to dispose of common electronic items that many don’t think to recycle, including laptops, cell phones, chargers, speakers, kitchen appliances, vacuums and keyboards. Local research firm Informative Technologies Inc. partnered with the Office of Waste Reduction and Recycling to collect E-waste. This is event was not only to recycle old tech, but a research opportunity to develop understanding of how to make computers work better and longer.
Sustainability Week strives to give this campus a sustainable, environmentally-friendly legacy and encourages students to join in on the movement.