Welcome to many new recipients of the Greenletter!
Welcome also, new FSU Sustainable Green Team member Dr. Dina Vyortkina, with the FSU College of Education, Health and Human Sciences.
Community Engagement
On September 25, Mitch Gans presented “Our Green Office & Zero-Waste Workplace” at the final “Green Drinks” event of 2023 at OCBC Tallahassee. FSU Information Technology Services provided pizza for the attendees, and sustainability door prizes were awarded. Thanks to SGT and RIDER Center Daynah Blake and Nicole Blanchard for photography and assistance. As in Orlando in June, Mitch talked about how the Sustainable Green Team achieved zero waste at the Sliger Building Data Center and included more of the team’s experiences since then. Sustainable Tallahassee President Kristen Summers was awarded an SGT Green Guide Certificate of Achievement.
On September 27, Mitch hosted a Sustainable Green Team table at the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering RSO Involvement Fair, and talked to attendees about the SGT’s initiatives, programs and opportunities.
See the photo
On November 21, the team volunteered with the RIDER Center and Insight Studios Productions, LLC., to work with FSU Digital Media Students to create a public service announcement as a class assignment depicting how University research positively impacts the local community.
See the photos
SGT Green Guide Program
In August, the team began awarding Green Guide certificates to advocates 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.
To grow interest, the team has created a shareable QR code to enlist support from the community at large.
Recycling Partner of the Quarter
An iRobot Roomba vacuum keeps the Sliger Data Center floor relatively dust-free, but often dislodges small portions of its 35-year-old linoleum floor. J.R. at Capital Flooring Specialists in Tallahassee accepts linoleum for recycling, and the team occasionally drops off a parcel of linoleum shards while en route to other activities.
Upcycle Partner of the Quarter
The Tallahassee Automobile Museum accepts Mitch Gans’ retired cosplay projects constructed from recycled materials for display, indefinitely extending the lifespan of typically disposable annual creations for appreciative visitors. The team brought his 2022 bloodmobile costume to FSU benefactor and museum owner DeVoe Moore in 2023, and many of Mitch’s previous costumes are on display there.
See the photo
Teamwork
On National Cleanup Day on September 16, the team hosted a Cache In Trash Out (CITO) cleanup event at the Innovation Park Central Pond Trail and SGT Green Guide Alpha geocache.
See the photo
On September 17, the team attended Sustainable Tallahassee’s 2023 Tally Trash Challenge event at DEEP Brewing Co.
See the photos
On October 26, the team picked up trash on its adopted street to observe 2023 World Sustainability Day.
See the photo
Sustainable Crossings Redux
The team was interviewed by ABC 27 last June and had the opportunity to tell the public about the dangers of the Mabry Street railroad crossing. On December 19, Daynah Blake was delighted to see construction proceeding on the intersection, and reports having received many elated reactions to its completion from people returning from Winter Break.
See the work in progress photo
New Campus Recycling Program
The Sliger Building Materials Recovery Facility now accepts all brands of printer toner cartridges for recycling. Please bring or send via campus mail new and used printer toner cartridges 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 you would like to host a printer toner collection receptacle at your office location.
State Accolade
On December 6, the FSU Sustainable Green Team received FSU’s sole 2023 Florida TaxWatch Productivity Award and one of only ten awards in the State, for Implementation of a Zero-Waste Data Center Facility. Now a partnership among faculty and staff for betterment of the FSU community, the team is comprised of members from the Center for Information Management and Information Services (CIMES), College of Education, Health and Human Services, FAMU-FSU College of Engineering Resilient Infrastructure and Disaster Response (RIDER) Center, and Information Technology Services Research Computing Center (RCC).
Read the FSU News article Watch the video
Mitch Gans has published a personal account of the entire story of the SGT, including all actions and events leading up to this award.
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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
NL #004 January 2024
CC: Mitch Gans – SGT Lead Contact
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