OXFORD, Miss. – It was a huge party, complete with cotton candy, live music, games and an inflatable “bounce house” for the kids. But the occasion wasn’t a birthday – it was Earth Day 2009 at the University of Mississippi.
And if the children’s enthusiasm was any indication, the planet will be in good hands.
“That’s the future right there,” said a grinning Jim Morrison, UM’s sustainability coordinator, as he watched dozens of youngsters swarm the Student Union Plaza, excited about going green. “These kids are going to change the world. It’s simply amazing.”
Held in tandem with UM’s 10th Annual Worldfest, Earth Day 2009 celebrated the Oxford-University community’s progress in environmental responsibility while planting seeds in the minds of area grade-schoolers and UM students alike. Companies, nonprofit organizations and state agencies all set up displays to demonstrate what each of us can do to reduce our carbon footprint.
It didn’t hurt that there was plenty of fun, either. Snapshots from the day include:
– UM Physical Plant workers used a display to show kids how compact fluorescent bulbs are more efficient than traditional ones. Youngsters also hopped aboard UM’s solar-powered golf cart.
– The city of Oxford used its portable solar-generator to power the bounce house.
– The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality used a miniature display to show where pollution goes and how it affects water and soil.
– UM alumnus Stephen Johnston, CEO of SmartSynch in Jackson, gave a special presentation called SmartKids, encouraging youngsters to do little things to save big energy.
– Home Depot showcased products from its EcoOptions line.
– Large wooden boards were painted with giant feet – showing how the U.S. uses more of Earth’s resources than many other nations.
– “Mount Trashmore” outside the Student Union showed just a fraction of how much garbage is generated in the Grove on a football game weekend.
“We’re very proud of how it’s gone so far,” Morrison said. “And this is just our first year doing a full-blown Green Week. As being environmentally responsible becomes more and more a part of the Ole Miss culture, I think Green Week is going to continue to grow and become a more powerful force for change in our community.”
The week’s activities represent more than a year of work toward environmental sustainability by UM officials.
Chancellor Robert Khayat signed the American College & University Presidents’ Climate Commitment last April, making UM the first university in Mississippi to sign onto the effort. Sponsored by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education, the agreement challenges colleges and universities to identify their greenhouse gas output, then develop a plan to reduce those emissions over the next five years.
Last summer, the university’s Landscaping Services Department began operating all its lawnmowers on a mix of regular diesel and biodiesel fuel made from used cooking oil by research technicians at the UM Mississippi Mineral Resources Institute. The mowers run on a blend of 20 percent biofuel and 80 percent regular diesel, which helps reduce pollution, save fuel and reduces the need for engine maintenance.
The university also has stepped up its recycling efforts, launched a new 18-hour academic minor in environmental studies and is building its new law school building to conform to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED, green building guidelines.
For more information about UM efforts toward sustainability or for a full slate of Green Week 2009 events, go to http://green.olemiss.edu . For a blog about other Green Week activities, go to http://olemissgreen.blogspot.com/ .