Sustainability includes holiday cards and football

December 4, 2007

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — This holiday season, University of Florida faculty, staff and students can help the environment and spread holiday cheer.

As part of UF’s ongoing commitment to sustainability, a selection of UF-themed holiday cards are available on the Web (www.identity.ufl.edu/gatorNation/cards.html), said Dan Williams, director of marketing. Sending e-cards is both economically and environmentally positive.

“The essence is saving the paper and postage associated with sending traditional holiday cards,” said Williams. “The whole idea was to advocate our commitment to campus sustainability — in real ways.”

Each holiday, 2.65 billion paper cards are sold in this country. By sending e-cards, we can greatly reduce that impact on the environment while saving money, Williams said.

“Enough holiday cards are printed in one holiday season to fill Ben Hill Griffin Stadium to the top,” Williams said.

UF President Bernie Machen and First Lady Chris Machen are also concerned about the impact that holiday cards can have on the environment, and on people’s budgets.

“The price of stamps and the immense use of paper really made us stop and think,” said Chris Machen. “So many cards are opened and then thrown in the trash. We just tried to think of a better way.”

Between Thanksgiving and Christmas, the U.S. Postal Service expects to deliver approximately 20 billion pieces of mail, according to a Postal Service report. This immense volume of cards and packages results in great amounts of paper waste, which can be reduced with e-cards.

Due to state funding cuts, available university monies sometimes need to be directed to expenses more vital than postage.

“Since we see and speak to so many of our Florida friends and family, we felt that an e-card would be an environmentally and economically responsible way to share our holiday greetings,” Chris Machen said.

For more information or to send a holiday card, visit www.identity.ufl.edu.

Orange and blue…and green

The holidays are not all that UF has been working to make sustainable. At the recent football game against Florida State University, UF showed another side of its sustainability efforts.

Each game generates a huge carbon footprint, and UF became the first university in the nation to attempt to counteract the carbon footprint created by one football game.

By working with the International Carbon Bank and Exchange, the UF Office of Sustainability was able to calculate that the game generated about 1,750 metric tons of carbon dioxide, which equals approximately 3.8 million pounds. The majority of this carbon, about 63 percent, was generated by fans traveling to the game in their personal vehicles.

To offset the carbon emissions of the game, UF partnered with the Florida Forestry Association and Environmental Defense, an environmental advocacy organization, to arrange for 18 acres of land to be set aside as a pine forest for 10 years. The team calculated that this would be enough land and time to absorb the game-related carbon emissions.

UF supporters Jim and Winston Bailey are responsible for the land, part of a 100-acre tract, the remainder of which may be used for future carbon-emission related projects. As compensation, Environmental Defense will pay the Baileys to manage the forest, for 10 years. For more information on offsetting the carbon footprint generated by the game, visit www.sustainable.ufl.edu.