SustainableUMD Opportunities, Events, & Updates

 

December 2023

Season’s Greetings from the Office of Sustainability at UMD! The holiday season is a time of joy and celebration. However, with the holiday season comes a lot of shopping and waste. Today, we are sharing some of the United Nations Environment Programme’s tips on how to have a sustainable holiday season. Our first tip is swap disposable for reusable. This could mean saving old wrapping paper to reuse next year, or gifting reusable grocery bags to family and friends. Check out the rest of the article to learn more!

READ THE FULL ARTICLE

Power Down Before Winter Break

Winter Break is quickly approaching. Here are some friendly reminders: Turn off all lights Unplug electronics and appliances Turn off humidifiers Close windows tightly and lower thermostat Turn off the tap and report any leaks to facilities Defrost and unplug fridges

New and Noteworthy

BikeUMD is Hiring! — BikeUMD is hiring student Bike Program Assistants. Their job will be to promote safe biking and scooting conditions on campus and elevate the culture of our bike friendly university. This position will be 10-15 hours a week and pay $16.50 an hour. Learn more about BikeUMD. Now accepting applications, apply here today! Apply Here

Special Thanks to Our Arboretum Volunteers! — Throughout the fall 2023 semester, volunteers spent over 4,000 hours cultivating our living campus. They helped staff plant native plants, remove invasive species, lead birdwatching walks and other tours, and more! Interested in volunteering with your group? Contact us today! Contact the Arboretum Today

Global FEWture Alliance Symposium — The Global FEWture Alliance is an Institutional Grant that tackles Food-Energy-Water (FEW) issues. They are looking for campus citizens to get involved in research, policy discussions, and more. Please consider attending their symposium on January 19th in Stamp Student Union. RSVP here by December 8th. Register Here

UMD Donation Guide — Terp to Terp and the Campus Pantry have come together to create a donation Guide. As you get ready to travel for the holidays consider donating items to the Campus Pantry and to Terp to Terp and be sure to check out their guide. Learn More

Upcoming Events

Wednesday, December 6th 11:00am-3:00pm

Holiday Farmer’s Market The fall farmer’s market in Tawes Plaza has concluded its season for the semester. However,  the Holiday version of the market will return in the same location on December 6th! Come check out some of your favorite vendors and visit the Office of Sustainability’s table. We will be decorating terracotta pots and showcasing sustainable gift wrapping options.  Learn more here.

Now - Friday, December 8th

Terp Toy Drive For 27 years, the Department of Resident Life has hosted a holiday toy drive benefiting the City of College Park Youth and Family Services. Check out the Amazon Wishlist. Make sure to donate by Friday, December 8th. More information here.

Shareable Bytes

Stat: The University will divert 75% of its total solid waste from landfills and seek opportunities to further reduce was generation.  Read: This past October, UMD participated in Campus Sustainability Month! Throughout the month we celebrated Energy Efficiency Day (10/4), World Migratory Bird Day (10/14), and World Food Day (10/16). We also concluded the month with our Campus Sustainability Month Celebration. A variety of clubs, organizations, and offices participated! Read the full article here.

Taylor Brinks and Savannah Holt at our Campus Sustainability Month Celebration in Hornbake Plaza on 10/27.

SustainableUMD represents the University of Maryland’s commitment to advance sustainability through teaching, research, service, and operations. The UMD Office of Sustainability celebrates these efforts through the SustainableUMD newsletter, website, social media, and more.

Have a question or want to submit content for the SustainableUMD Newsletter? Contact sustainability@umd.edu with the subject line: “Newsletter Content”

Office of Sustainability 4716 Pontiac Street, Suite 0103 College Park, MD 20742