Editor’s note: This column was submitted to the Texan by a member of the UT community. 

Within UT Facilities and Planning Management there are several departments whose work focuses on maintaining and improving sustainability efforts on campus. Below are summaries of all their efforts as well as ways campus community members (students, faculty and staff) can get involved in sustainability-related efforts.

UT Austin Office of Sustainability

The Office of Sustainability advocates, amplifies and shows up in support of ideas and actions related to sustainable outcomes in service to the University of Texas at Austin and the surrounding community. The office does this by partnering with faculty, students and staff who are working toward a more sustainable campus. 

The Office of Sustainability’s vision is to integrate sustainability into the identity of UT and for the University to be recognized as a leader in sustainability in higher education.

The Office of Sustainability sponsors the Campus Environmental Center, which includes several student-led programs focused on waste diversion such as Trash to Treasure and Green Events. 

“Trash to Treasure is a sustainable fashion initiative under the Campus Environmental Center (CEC) that aims to keep gently used items away from the landfill. We host monthly thrift sales in front of the PCL where we circulate our inventory of donated clothing and dorm goods back into the UT community at a price of $1 per item. Students can volunteer with us or shop at our $1 sales to support our project that creates accessibility to sustainable solutions!” said Jessi Drummond, Campus Environmental Center coordinator under the Office of Sustainability. 

The Office of Sustainability is also the lead UT sponsor of the MoveOutATX initiative in West Campus. 

Follow the Office of Sustainability on social media: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter

UT Austin Resource Recovery

The Resource Recovery program is responsible for the efficient reuse and redistribution of campus resources and manages the University’s Zero Waste Program.

“As a Zero Waste intern with UT Resource Recovery since Fall 2021, I have been able to consult with staff and faculty event planners in a hands-on environment, sharing best practices and encouraging them to be more sustainable at events. … I enjoy the work I do because the projects that I’m involved with help support the University’s Zero Waste Goal, which aims to divert 90% of waste from the landfill. A big part of achieving this goal is providing effective communication and outreach strategies for people who may not understand the negative impact of landfills on the environment. For example, did you know that food waste primarily emits methane, which has a global warming potential up to 80 times greater than other types of greenhouse gases? This data is impactful, especially when you consider how much opportunity there is for our campus to make changes. 

Students who are interested in becoming involved with zero waste initiatives can intern with UT Resource Recovery, register for the Zero Waste Hero certification program, shop at the UT Surplus REuse store, or drop off single-use alkaline batteries at our collection events to keep them out of the landfill. Students, faculty, and staff may also notice other programs on campus, such as paper towel composting, standardized waste bin signage, and event composting. These are all great resources and offer a way for everyone to be active in the community while improving the environmental impact of our campus,” said Aaron Torres, Zero Waste Events intern

“I chose to get involved in Zero Waste because I wanted to change the culture around sustainability in the UT community and to mitigate our waste output. Environmental concerns can seem daunting at first, but the opportunity to make a tangible difference and to see its effects firsthand continues to inspire me to learn more about ways I can help to make this beautiful campus more sustainable,” said Ben Shipman, Zero Waste Workplace intern

Here are some of the resources, programs and tips offered by the Resource Recovery team:

Campuswide Efforts and Tips:

• Recycling and landfill trash signage is standard across all general use buildings on Main Campus and the J.J. Pickle Research Campus to make it easier to know what goes in each bin. Keep an eye out for these signs, and check out the “What Do I Do with This?” Zero Waste Sorting Database, which is also accessible via the QR code on the sign to get answers for even more materials.
  Pro tip: Paper cups belong in the landfill trash bin. They are made with layers of paper and plastic, making them unrecyclable.
• Over 60 buildings on campus are now composting paper towels in restrooms! Make sure to bring all non-paper towel waste to receptacles outside of the restrooms to help us keep the compost bin clean.
• Batteries generated in UT spaces, such as offices, dorms, classrooms and labs, are accepted for recycling on campus. This flowchart helps determine where your batteries should be disposed of. Keep an eye out for fall Resource Recovery battery collection events to drop-off single-use alkaline batteries.
• Visit the UT Surplus REuse Store for great, low prices on apartment furnishings, office accessories and UT apparel.

Student Programs:

• Resource Recovery hosts hands-on internships for students eager to learn and make a difference on campus. Apply via Handshake when postings are available.
• Reach out to Resource Recovery staff. We are happy to consult with you on class projects, research or ideas on recycling, composting, reuse and other waste topics.
• Register for Zero Waste Hero, a self-paced certification program on Canvas where students learn lifelong skill sets to reduce waste. This is a great way to learn more about recycling and composting, UT’s zero waste efforts, zero waste participation opportunities, community events and more.

Staff and Faculty Programs:

• Breakroom composting is now available in buildings with paper towel composting in place. Motivated “champions” have options to collect coffee grounds or all food scraps and compostable packaging. Other Zero Waste Workplace programs include office supply swaps, mini bin swaps and more.
• Make your next event a zero waste one! Resource Recovery’s Zero Waste Events team offers personalized consultations, vendor guidance, custom signage and a ZWEco Supply Store (order via the Event Planning Request Form) for staff and faculty event planners to purchase certified compostable service ware and rent compost bins.

Be sure to follow our accounts on Facebook and Instagram to stay up to date with events, internships and other opportunities.

• Zero Waste on Instagram and Facebook 
• Surplus Property on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook

UT Landscape Services

UT Landscape Services, or LS, is integral to sustainability efforts on the UT campus. From cleaning up trash and recycling on campus grounds during and after football games to growing our own plants from campus seeds and cuttings, almost everything LS does impacts sustainability.

For decades, LS has supported home football game clean-up by managing waste and helping keep the area around the stadium clean by supplying trash and recycling bags to people tailgating for the games. In recent years, and with the increase in fan experiences at home games, LS assists with waste management efforts at the tailgate vendor set-up at LBJ Library and Thompson Conference Center areas and the Longhorn City Limits concerts. We also make sure recycling is diverted from our landfills at these large events.

Leaf collection is another important maintenance task we manage on campus both in the fall and the early spring (when live oak trees shed their old leaves). Instead of sending the leaves to the landfill, or paying to transport them for processing, we recycle the leaves into compost and compost tea, which then goes back to campus to benefit turf grass, trees and other plants. This allows us to save money on purchasing compost and additional fertilizers.

Another sustainability effort we work on is repurposing trees that have died or need to be removed for various reasons into usable wood products, such as furniture that is used in some campus buildings. We have also worked with the UT Carpentry Shop and Texas Exes on the creation of diploma frames and other custom wood items created from UT trees. We use our own mulch from the wood chips we create when processing a dead or storm-damaged tree from campus.  

We have also had the pleasure of being involved with several Green Fund grant programs since the program was created. We currently employ two students from a 2021 Green Fund grant: one assists with organizing multiple volunteer trash clean-ups in Waller Creek each semester, and the other works with native plant projects and networking with students to promote our green efforts on campus.

Sustainability is certainly a coordinated effort at UT and it involves everyone in the campus community. Joining these efforts can be easy and low commitment for any lifestyle. As good stewards of state natural resources, the staff at UT Landscape Services is proud to be part of creating a more sustainable UT.

To keep up with these efforts and stay in the know, follow Landscape Services on social media! Here is our Instagram and Facebook.

This forum piece was submitted by Veronica Trevino, assistant director of issues management, financial and administrative services on behalf of the UT Office of Sustainability, Resource Recovery and Landscape Services teams.