The Greenletter

Happy Anniversary, SGT!

Founded in November 2021, the FSU Sustainable Green Team has become a leader in State of Florida sustainability initiatives in the workplace and especially in higher education. In September 2024, Florida TaxWatch recognized and rewarded the team for the third year, for establishing two new recycling programs and FSU’s first Little Free Library. The team was for the second consecutive time one of only ten Florida productivity award recipients, and again Florida State University's sole winner.

Read the FSU News article

See the award

Watch the video

 

Community Engagement 

The Seminole Innovators and Environmental Service Program student organizations have been inviting the SGT to present "Sustainability at FSU" at semester organizational events. Thanks to Presidents Colby Jacobs and Lauryn Fox for continuing to reach out to us.

See the Spring photos

See the Fall photos

 

Special thanks to Gabe of Insight Studios, LLC, and Matt, FSU Digital Media Production student, for working to produce a public service announcement last November with the Sustainable Green Team and the RIDER Center.

Watch the PSA

 

On October 2, Mitch Gans and the team hosted a table and talked to attendees at the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering's Fall 2024 EDGE Involvement Fair.

See the photo

 

On November 9, the SGT participated in the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention's 2024 Tallahassee Community Walk, with Chair Ann Marie Hamlin Curry.

See the photos

 

Green Drinks

Sustainable Tallahassee sponsors a Green Drinks event in Tallahassee on the last Monday of many months for local entrepreneurs and organizations to present and discuss their particular sustainability interests with the public. 

On June 24, The Sustainable Green Team attended Sustainable Tallahassee's Green Drinks and a presentation on emergency preparedness by Danielle Baxter with the City of Tallahassee Utilities.

See the photos

 

On August 26, the team attended a presentation by Marina Mertz with the Florida Wildflower Foundation.

See the photos

 

On October 28, the team attended a presentation at 621 Gallery by Sustainable Tallahassee President Laura LaChappelle, about Hydr0Swap and its devotion to "pop-up clothing swaps for 0 waste & water conservation."

See the photos

 

On Nov. 18, the team attended a presentation by Chair of the Chain of Parks Art Festival Kelly Dozier about their recent stormwater abatement project and innovative rain garden.

See the photo

 

Public Education

On March 19, the team was honored for the second year to be invited by Ivory Miller and Michelle Register to present "Reduce, Reuse & Recycle" to 60 pre-school students at the Learning Pavilion.

See the photo

 

Teamwork

On Feb. 24, the Sustainable Green Team attended the RIDER Center's 2024 Open House.

See the photos 

 

In October 2022. the team adopted East Paul Dirac Drive outside its zero-waste data center, and has been responsible for patrolling litter every three months along its route, Please let us know if you would like to be included with our next trash pickup in February 2025, at GreenTeam@fsu.edu.

 

On May 7, the Sustainable Green Team re-homed Big Bird’s Little Library to the Learning Pavilion.

See the photo

 

On September 4, the team built and established Florida State University’s first Little Free Library, at the Sliger Building at 2035 East Paul Dirac Drive, Tallahassee, FL 32310.

See the photo

 

On November 8, the team attended a RIDER Center social for faculty, staff, and students.

See the photo

 

SGT Green Guide Progream

In 2023, the team began awarding Green Guide certificates to allies and partners who assist with furthering the team’s Sustainability interests and objectives. If you received such a certificate, the SGT would love to receive a photo of you with yours, so it can be displayed on social media. The Sustainable Green Team is the only entity using #FSUGreenTeam on Facebook.

See the photos

 

To grow interest, the team has created a shareable QR code to enlist support from the community at large.

Become a Green Guide

 

Recycling Partner Recognition

The team gratefully recognizes FSU Facilities Associate Director Arnel Bacani for providing trash bags for the team's periodic cleanup duties with Keep Tallahassee Beautiful.

See the photo

 

In 2024, Chris Gohlke with Making Awesome Tallahassee began partnering with the SGT to responsibly recycle 3-D printer filament waste (PLA).

See the photo

 

Upcycle Partner Recognition

On June 11, Tom Boutwell, Erik May, Tommy Tharp, and Jeff Shepard worked with the team to re-home the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering’s ancient solar car, to now be included with the City of Tallahassee’s Special Projects.

See the photos

Watch the video

 

Green Office Certification

The Sustainable Green Team is particularly experienced with Green Office certification as supported by FSU Sustainable Campus and has collectively undertaken at least five such certification exercises. We have developed an interactive survey tool to determine in just a few minutes how ready a respondent may be at that particular time to request green office certification from FSU's Sustainable Campus department. Please let us know if a discussion about this would be conducive to your interests. On August 20, the team participated with Sustainable Campus to discuss and present the tool to FSU's Women in Technology.

 

New Campus Recycling Programs

The Sliger Building Materials Recovery Facility now accepts all 3D printer filament waste for recycling.  Please bring or send via campus mail all PLA filament to the FSU Sustainable Green Team at 2035 East Paul Dirac Drive in Tallahassee, 32310, or at FSU Mail Code 2760. Let the team know if your printer waste volume exceeds what you can easily send for recycling.

"Smokin' Ain't Allowed in School"

Since 2014, smoking is allowed nowhere on campus by anyone, per 4-OP-B-7 University Smoking Policy. The Sustainable Green Team was especially interested in responsibly recycling the many rechargeable vape batteries encountered during periodic trash pick-ups that the team was abhorrent to simply discard. Team members took the initiative to begin collecting used rechargeable batteries from their vaping friends. Since February, the team has recycled 68 vape batteries. 

 

Extreme Climate Recovery

On Friday morning, May 10, 2024, three tornados caused extensive damage in Tallahassee and to Innovation Park, workplace to many on the team, and thousands of trees in the area were destroyed. The team's SGT Green Guide Alpha geocache has been temporarily disabled until FEMA restoration of the area has been completed. Apologies for the inconvenience.

 

T's for Tally! The FSU Sustainable Green Team appreciatively accepts donation of new and like-new t-shirts and genderless tops and has been directly distributing them to CESC Kearney Center clients each month.

View the announcement

See the November Photo

***

We strive to promote socially responsible and environmentally sustainable practices by empowering individuals to make the right choices.

Please let us know if you would like to be included with any of our activities and interests, or if we can help you rehome unusual items.

Happy New Year!

 

Published by the RIDER Center

 

RIDER Logo

NL #005 December 2024

CC: Mitch Gans – SGT Lead Contact

 

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