Green Events
Engaging Students in Sustainable Practice
through On-Campus Event Planning
Smart and Sustainable Campus Conference 2
Campus as a Learning Laboratory
Wesley Beckner
B.S. Chemical Engineering '14 | Cockrell School of Engineering
Assistant Director, Campus Environmental Center
The University of Texas at Austin
(817) 676-6617 | wesleybeckner@gmail.com
Sustainabil
ity at UT
The
University
of Texas
Green
Events
The University of Texas at
-Engaging a Diverse Campus in SustainabilityAustin
STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS BY TYPE
Special Interest
International/Cultural
Educational/Departmental
Social
Honorary
Legislative
Political
Service
Professional
Religious
recreational
Number of
Organizations
Organization Category
60
International/Cultural
158
Educational/Departmental
39
Honorary
46
Legislative
48
Political
226
Professional
132
recreational
113
Religious
171
Service
126
Social
152
Special Interest
Total
1271
The University of Texas at
-Engaging a Diverse Campus in SustainabilityAustin
TOTAL ENROLLMENT BY COLLEGE
Public Affairs
Pharmacy
Nursing
Undergraduate Studies
How does the
university engage
such a diverse
student body with
sustainability?
Architecture
Business
Social Work
Communication
Natural Sciences
Education
Engineering
Liberal Arts
Fine Arts
Information
Law
Geoscienes
Intercollegial
College
Architecture
Business
Communication
Education
Engineering
Fine Arts
Geoscienes
Information
Intercollegial
Law
Liberal Arts
Natural Sciences
Nursing
Pharmacy
Public Affairs
Social Work
Undergraduate
Studies
Total
Total
Enrollment
628
4,960
4,594
3,321
7,084
1,753
573
269
141
1,099
9,621
11,150
910
588
361
746
1,651
49,449
The University of Texas at
-Sustainability on the 40 AcresAustin
The
President’s
Sustainability
Steering
Committee
Engineers
for a
Sustainable
World
19
90
The Campus
Environmental
Center
Studentled Groups
and
Initiatives
19
95
Facilities
Services
The Campus
Sustainability
Policy
Institutional
Initiatives
20
00
Net
Impact
20
05
DHFS
20
10
The Office of
Sustainability
The University of Texas at
-Sustainability on the 40 AcresAustin
Despite
efforts from
the CEC and other
organizations on
Programs and
Sponsors and
campus,
most
Initiatives
Partners
-Past and Presentstudents at the-university entitiesuniversity are not
actively engaged in
sustainability
The University of Texas at
-Sustainability on the 40 AcresAustin
Key
“Green Events is a
Objectives
student run initiative Form
partnerships
with
Programs and
Sponsors
and
that aims
toleaders
make
Teach
student
campus
entities
Initiatives
Partners
Mainstream
events more-university
of other organizations
to institutionalize
-Past and Present-campus
entitiessustainability at
how
to incorporate
Green Events
sustainable
and
the University of
sustainability
into their
and create a
create
a
culture
of
Texas at Austin
operations
culture of
sustainability at the sustainability on
University of Texas campus
at Austin”
-Green Events mission
statement
Green Events
-The Model-
Implementing
and
Sustaining
Change
Engaging and Enabling the
Whole Organization
Creating a
Climate for
Change
Assess
Align
Engage
Educate
Communicate
Create
short
term wins
Support
Sustain
Green Events
-The Nuts and Bolts-
Hires
• Student
Consultant
s
• Staff
Advisor
Provides
• Office
Space
• Working
Budget
Division of Housing
and Food Service
Provides
• Free work
orders for
Green
Events
Provides
• Access to
organic
recycle
dumpster
Green Events
-The Nuts and Bolts-
2012-2013 Expenses
Two GE coordinators
$6,000 (320 hours each,
$9.00/hr)
Recycling Bins
$500
Composting Bins
$500
Compost Services
$50
Custom Signage
$20
Total
$7,070
Working
Budget
Green Events
-Case Studies-
Mainstreaming
Sustainability in a
university where
many students do
not yet identify with
an environmental
ethic
• Rez Week
• 40 Acres Fest
Student CoLearning
Opportunities
• Holi
• Iron Spikes
• One-time Events
Partnerships,
Expansion, and
Institutionalization
• Events CoSponsorship
Board
• Facilities
• DHFS
• Online
Platform
• Green
Green Events
-Case StudiesMainstreaming Sustainability
• 5Week
day event with
• Rez
•
•




performances
24-hour a day coffee house
and $1 lunches
Facilities provided free work
order for tables, chairs, and
stage
Served 3000 beverages
(organic and free-trade tea,
coffee, and cocoa)
Cups and serving utensils
were industrially
compostable
Composting bins were
situated near serving area
Recycling bins were
available for students who
Green Events
-Case StudiesMainstreaming Sustainability
• Rez Week
Item
Vendor
Outcomes
• TheKey
event
generated
huge visibility for
Green Events.
• We established a longterm relationship with
the student group.
• Creating a
sustainability budget
for the student
organization ensured
that socially
responsible and
environmentally
friendly products were
used
Amt
(unit)
Price
price/unit
Amt to
Purchase
(unit)
400
oz
Cost
Shipping to ATX
Key Issues
Dunkin' Donuts Original Blend
Organic Ethiopia Fair-Trade Coffee
Organic FT Yirgacheffe
Costco
coffeeam.com
soap.com
40
80
80
oz
oz
oz
$22.99
$58.95
$50.99
$0.57
$0.74
$0.64
Equal Exchange FT Organic
qualitycoach.net
160
oz
$76.00
$0.48
Equal Exchange FT/O Swiss Choclate Almond Coffee
qualitycoach.net
160
oz
$70.77
$0.44
Lipton Regular tea bags
Lipton Green Tea Fusion, organic
Equal Exchange Green and Black Tea FT/O
Equal Exchange Grean Tea FT/O 6 pack
Costco
Costco
qualitycoach.net
qualitycoach.net
100
30
20
120
bags
bags
bags
bags
$4.89
$25.99
$4.50
$24.30
$0.05
$ 0.87
$0.23
$0.20
1000
bags
$48.90
Celestial Seasonings
vitacost.com
20
bags
$2.89
$0.14
1000
bags
$144.50
Swiss Miss Regular Hot Cocoa Mix
Costco
50
bags
$10.39
$0.21
500
oz
$103.90
$229.90
$15.50
400
oz
$176.93
$15.50
$192.43
• The bins were
contaminated with
trash and had to be
sorted at the end of the
day.
• The food vendor
served food with both
plastic and
biodegradable forks.
qualitycoach.net
80
oz
$29.00
$0.36
500
oz
$181.25
Dart Drink Foam Cup 10 oz
Costco
1000
cups
$27.99
$0.03
3000
cups
$83.97
Hot Cups from Planet+ 8 oz, biodegradable
greenpaperproducts.com
1000
cups
$85.20
$0.09
Dixie Paper Hot Cup 8 pz
wayfair supply
1000
cups
$35.46
$0.04
world art hot cup 8 oz
ecoproductsstore
1000
cups
$83.95
$0.08
3000
cups
$251.85
$48.90
$4.99
$149.49
$103.90
same shipment
with coffee
$181.25
$
83.97
$8.99
Free
Sugarcane Bowl 12 oz
ecoproductsstore
1000
bowls
$101.83
$0.10
Free
Recyclable/Compostable hot dog tray
amazon (southern champion)
1000
trays
$27.65
$0.03
$18.34
Recyclable/Compostable plaid food tray
amazon (southern champion)
1000
trays
$20.99
$0.02
$10.24
Recycled Paper Bowl 12 oz
foodservicefiresale.com
1000
bowls
$77.15
$0.08
$12.12
6" Fork plantware compostable fork
ecoproductsstore
1000
forks
$61.52
$0.06
Free
Difference
Cost for nongreen
$229.90
Equal Exchange FT/O Hot Cocoa
Totals
Total cost
$251.85
$
775.02
$
466.67
$
308.35
Green Events
-Case StudiesMainstreaming Sustainability
• 40 Acres Fest
• Day-long campus-wide
event
• More than 50
participating student
organizations
 Recycling bins were
situated around the
event area
 Participating student
orgs came to a
mandatory orientation
where they received a
presentation on green
tabling and activities
Green Events
-Case StudiesMainstreaming Sustainability
• 40 Acres Fest
Key Outcomes
• Presenting to student
organizations before
the festival set the bar
ahead of time and
allowed the
coordinators to not
only ‘Green’ the event
but educate as well.
• The organization
orientation allowed
Green Events to
broadcast their
services to a wide
audience
Key Issues
• Some student groups
still used Styrofoam or
similar unrecoverable
serving utensils.
Green Events
-Case StudiesMainstreaming
Sustainability
Key Lessons
• 40 Acres Fest
Mainstream sustainability by
Tip:
• targeting large, long-standing
events on campus and
• advertising Green Events
as
• When
starting a Green
both a sustainable initiative
and program, set
Events
as a consulting service that
can goals for the
realistic
improve the overall qualitystudent
of an organizations
• Some student groups
organization’s
event
still used Styrofoam
or
and work with them
similar unrecoverable
directly to attain those
serving utensils.
goals.
• Not all organizations
will get a green event
perfect the first time.
Green Events
-Case StudiesCo-Learning Opportunities
• Holi
• “Festival of Color”
hosted by the Hindu
Students Association
(HSA)
• Attracts 2000 students
in 3 hours
• Method of distributing
colored powder ‘Gulal’
had previously been a
major source of waste
 GE and HSA worked
together to reduce the
use of single-use
products
 All waste was
composted
Green Events
-Case StudiesCo-Learning Opportunities
• Holi
OldOutcomes
Key
Method:
• The higher cost per
biodegradable bag
was mitigated through
improved logistics.
• 1/5 of the amount of
usual bags was used
and all waste was
recovered and
composted.
• The HSA officers were
engaged in sustainable
thinking.
New
Key
Issues
Method
• Sustainable thinking
was still for the most
part limited to the core
group of HSA officers.
Green Events
-Case StudiesCo-Learning Opportunities
• Iron Spikes Tailgate
• Off-campus tailgate
event
 Recycled all plastic
cups, cans, and bottles
 Effectively
communicated recycling
initiative to organization
members despite the
high level of “rowdiness”
Green Events
-Case StudiesCo-Learning
Opportunities
Key Lessons
• New and non-annual
events
Facilitate
co-learning by
• working with both small and
large and new and annual
• Events at the Community
events
Garden
• have a Green Event coordinator
• LAC Earth Week
research school resources, the
impacts of waste, and other
sustainability concerns so that
they can communicate this
information to other students
Green Events
-Case StudiesPartnership and Expansion
• Facilities and DHFS
Division of Housing
and Food Service
Large-impact
events receive free
work orders fulfilled
by Facilities
Services
Green Events pays
a fee to DHFS at
the end of the year
for the generated
compost (by
weight)
Green Events
-Case StudiesPartnership and Expansion
• Events Co-Sponsorship Board (ECB)
• $70,000 in available
funds
• Sponsored by University
Unions, a private entity
on campus.
 GE and ECB had one
meeting in the Fall of
2013 to begin coprogramming student
events
Green Events
-Case StudiesPartnership and Expansion
• Green Events Website
• $70,000 in available
funds
• Sponsored by University
Unions, a private entity
on campus.
 GE and ECB had one
meeting in the Fall of
2013 to begin coprogramming student
events
Green Events
-Case StudiesPartnership and Expansion
• Green Certification
• Showcases past
events
• Provides advertising
space for coprogrammed events
• Generates
recognition on
campus for student
organizations
engaged in
sustainability
Green Events
-Case StudiesPartnership
and Expansion
Key Lessons
Gain partners and expand a Green
• Green Certification
Events program by
• Quantifying sustainability goals
achievements
can be
• Showcase for past so eventTalking
Points:
understood
by a general
 Diverted
15
events
audience lbs of
• Space for
compost
•
Broadcasting
these
advertising cofrom
so that other
programmed events achievements
landfills
departments
and organizations
 Sourced
• Generates
local food
of the University
will contribute
recognition on
 Reused
to
the
momentum
campus for student
organizations
engaged in
sustainability
materials
from
Green Events kicked off the semester with Hindu Student
previous
Association’s (HSA) Sankranti kite festival this past Sunday,
years 14 lbs of food and serve-ware! Green Events
composting
and HSA collaborated in the fall to ensure that compostable
plates and cups and local food were sourced for the event.
Keep an eye out for Green Events’ new compost bins at
events on campus this spring!
Green Events
-Review-
The University of
Texas
Mainstreaming
Sustainability in a
university where
many students do
not yet identify with
an environmental
ethic
Sustainability at
UT
Student CoLearning
Opportunities
Green Events
Partnerships,
Expansion, and
Institutionalization
Green Events
Special thank you to the following:
• CEC staff advisor
Jennifer Hobson
• GE coordinators
Christopher
Nickelson and
Kendall Vela
• The office of
Sustainability,
Facilities Services,
and DHFS