Friday, November 14, 2008
Taking a green initiative has paid off some at the University of Kansas.
This year’s Sustainability Leadership Awards recognized people who were involved in a variety of places on campus.
From left, Stephen Goddard, senior curator of Spencer Museum, Anna Hoard, Topeka senior, and Sara Vancil, assistant director of the Office of Student Financial Aid, display their Sustainability Leadership Award certificates. The Center for Sustainability sponsored the awards which were given to those who displayed environmentally friendly practices.
Anna Hoard lobbied Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kan.) and Sen. Pat Roberts (R-Kan.) to reform the farm bill in Washington D.C. last year. Hoard, along with Oxfam America members, appealed to the senators to make the bill friendlier for sustainable farming and to reduce overproduction.
Hoard, Topeka senior, was among KU recipients of the second annual Sustainability Leadership Awards on Tuesday. Steve Goddard, senior curator of Spencer Museum, Sara Vancil, assistant director of the Office of Student Financial Aid, members of the KU Dining Services staff and the Student Rain Garden project were other winners of the award, sponsored by the KU Center for Sustainability.
Jeff Severin, director of the Center for Sustainability, said that he had worked with many groups and individuals who promoted sustainability on campus since the center opened in 2007. Hoard has been involved in several groups on campus, including KU Students for Fair Trade.
She and other students started an Oxfam America chapter at the University this year. The group, which advocates famine relief, held a hunger banquet in October.
Steve Goddard, senior curator of Spencer Museum and professor of art history, said childhood memories from Altadena, Calif., inspired his sustainability work on campus. “Starting when I was about 8 years old, I witnessed people living in a sustainable life style,” said Goddard, who received the faculty award.
As a curator for the museum, he will organize three environmentally themed exhibitions next semester featuring artists, scientists and sociologists. He said one of the exhibitions, “Trees & Other Ramifications,” explored the relationship between trees and people.
“I hope these exhibitions will encourage us to reflect a bit about our actual situation on the planet in a very literal sense,” Goddard said.
He also promotes recycling in the museum and will install a bike rack for students and its visitors.
Sara Vencil, assistant director of the Office of Student Financial Aid, showed sustainability leadership by making her office more green.
“Any change, even a little one that someone is willing to make, will make a difference,” said Vencil, who received the staff award.
Vencil started by adding recycling bins at the office, which allowed staff to recycle a variety of materials. One of her biggest achievements was a “Green Day,” which she organized in May to raise awareness of sustainability in her office. On that day, she encouraged all staff in the office to carpool or walk, not to print appointment schedules and to turn off lights whenever the staff left the office.
“My main piece of advice for anyone wanting to get more involved in recycling or energy conservation or in starting a program in their own home or workspace is to just start small,” Vencil said.
— — Edited by Arthur Hur
Editorial: Support the University’s Spencer Museum of ...
The Spencer is up for a Visitor’s Choice Award from The Kansas ...
Student gets award for recycling program
Center for sustainability recognizes Nick Benson for ink cartridge recycling program.
Kenny: Green groups fight for more than ...
Going green now focuses more on human problems.
Report shows University increases recycling
As convenience increases, so does the number of tons of garbage recycled. ...
Center for Sustainability seeks award nominees
The KU Center for Sustainability is looking for nominees for its first ...
Sustainable fashion show debuts tonight
Eco-friendly meets fashion forward at the Spring Student Night.
Students use Spencer library and museum to ...
Spencer Research Library has more than a million photos available for academic ...
Campus museums getting creative
Budget cuts at KU mean finding new ways to show off holdings.
Reframing the worlds of art and science
Collaborations encourage students to garner new ways of learning these seemingly separate ...
Campus groups promote recycling, reducing
The Center for Sustainability will be giving away reusable bottles and bags ...
Students inspired by museum exhibit
Graphic design class puts their own spin on advocacy posters.
Going green becomes mainstream at sporting events
University organizations suggest ways to improve recycling after football games.
Editorial: KU students finding more ways to ...
A variety of campus groups give students the opportunity to promote sustainability.
Schwartz: KU steps for sustainability
KU has room to grow in the being "green."
New service recycles campus furniture
The University of Kansas Environmental Stewardship Program is developing a new way ...
Spencer Art Museum hosts student night
The Spencer Student Advisory Board holds events like student night to attract ...
Panel to discuss recycling tonight
Speakers from local establishments will talk about how students can contribute to ...
University improves sustainability grade
The Sustainability Endowment Institute awarded the University a "B," an improvement from ...
University recycles more than paper and plastic
Besides the standard recyclables, the University also recycles bubble wrap, packing peanuts, ...
Get some Culture: Glorious to View Project
It's not all about fast food and beer pong.
Groups continue to push green initiative through ...
Groups are optimistic, though administration says there isn’t much ‘green’ to go ...
Living the green life
Earth Day is just one day of 365 that this senior is ...
Student groups team up for environment
From Blue to Green, a sustainability movement, will host events between now ...
Students promote campus sustainability
During Campus Sustainability Day Wednesday, students talked about ways to reserve resources ...
KU competes in recycling competition
The Environmental Stewardship Program enters the second week of recycling and waste ...
Pushing for an environmentally-friendly campus
Ray Anderson, found of Interface, will speak at Woodruff Auditorium tonight at ...
KU receives NCAA grant
Earth Day celebrations begin this weekend
City to offer live music, educational opportunities and parade among Earth Day ...
Recycling program keeps campus green
KU’s environmental stewardship program recycles materials and redistributes used furniture on campus.
Kansan ad staff receives 7 national awards
Accolades include National Salesperson, National Advisor of the Year
Political speakers in high demand
Dole Institute and SUA attract figures for political lectures.
Greek housing makes final's week competitive
The houses try to earn points through recycling and participation in green ...
Class designs posters for advocacy exhibit
Students create posters for advocacy groups such as Sierra Club to coincide ...
Group vows to improve recycling in engineering ...
Five Native American students are invoking their heritage to get others to ...
Lawrence hosts annual energy conservation fair
Event will showcase tips on how to be more energy efficient and ...
City still looking into curbside recycling
Private companies offer curbside service while the city and University are looking ...
Daldorph: Campus green initiatives forget about Lawrence
Students can have a positive effect on Lawrence's environmental awareness, too.
Campus museums reduce hours
The Spencer Museum of Art and the Natural History Museum are working ...
From left: Kimberlee Hinkle, Libby Johnson and Hannah ...
1 comment
Kansas Jayhawk fans hold aloft a reproduction of ...
2 comments
Erin Saupe, a Ph.D. student from St. Cloud, ...
1 comment
0 comments
Armed robbers continue to threaten.
3 comments
Lecture from Greg Mortenson, co-author of New York ...
0 comments
Comments
Use the comment form below to begin a discussion about this content.
Sign in to comment
Or login with:
OpenID