UNF is advancing sustainability through new technology, reduced plastic use and collaboration between administration and Student Government.
Will McMahon, assistant director of Campus Sustainability and chair of the Sustainability Committee said his goal is to enact more sustainability initiatives on campus.
“There’s the day-to-day responsibilities of my position, which includes monitoring energy consumption or water consumption… [and] to work with different leaders across campus to enact sustainable policies.”
Sustainability efforts
UNF has installed about 100 water meters that track usage through Kamstrup software, according to McMahon.
“What’s great about the software is that you can tell when there’s a leak very obviously,” McMahon said. “One of my day-to-day job responsibilities is that I use the software every single day, and whenever I notice a leak, I put in what we call a work order for a plumber to fix the problem.”
Plastic reduction remains a major goal, according to McMahon. “Some of the things that we’re working on is reducing plastic consumption across campus,” he said. “One of the ways that we do that is with these water bottle refill stations.”
Installation of these stations began in 2013 and has nearly replaced all fountains.
In terms of energy conservation, UNF has also begun to replace all lightbulbs on campus with LEDs.
“You could look at it in terms of lighting, moving from those, like fluorescent bulbs, to LEDs, which are 90% more energy efficient,” McMahon said. “Campus is now 95 to 99% retrofitted with LEDs.”
A new software system called EnergyCAP will launch soon to help monitor and compare building energy use, according to McMahon.
Student Government’s role
Haley Ginsberg, a Student Government representative who sits on UNF’s sustainability committee, ensures student voices are heard.
“I sit in on meetings and, if they’re asking student advice, I give input just so it’s not faculty voices,” she said.
According to Ginsberg, the best way SG can help students looking to be more involved in campus sustainability is by funding clubs.
“We are able to help fund registered RSOs if they request funding” she said. “If a student or club wants to see a change, they can come upstairs or email us. We can’t guarantee requests will get done, but we can make sure student voices are heard.”
In terms of long-term goals, Ginsberg hopes to continue to support sustainability efforts already in place.
Looking ahead
McMahon hopes to renew UNF’s global sustainability designation.
“One of my goals is to get us a kind of a global recognition with regard to sustainability,” he said. “We did have that at one time. UNF applied in 2012 and received the bronze designation.”
He emphasized shared responsibility: “It really comes down to personal responsibility at the end of the day. We can all do our part to be more sustainable.”
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