Each October, universities and colleges across the U.S.—including The University of Texas at Austin—highlight their efforts toward building a sustainable future during Campus Sustainability Week. The Office of Sustainability at UT Austin has put together a number of public events and tours starting October 23, 2017.

“Campus Sustainability Week is a fairly new nation-wide effort to encourage campuses to promote their sustainability efforts,” says Jim Walker, Director of the Office of Sustainability. ”We are celebrating our third year with a series of tours and workshops so that the campus community will see the work that happens on campus every day and meets some of UT Austin’s unsung heroes.”

Waller Creek Ecological Restoration Tour

Waller Creek is the most natural native corridor on campus. Learn more about the efforts to remove invasive species and restore the ecological balance during this guided tour. There are two options for joining: Monday, October 23 and Friday, October 27, 2017. For both tours, meet at the Santa Rita Oil Well near MLK and Trinity by 7:30 a.m. Tour will last 1.5 hours. Space is limited; reserve space here.

Sustainability Lunch & Learn for Faculty

Join Michelle Addington, Dean, School of Architecture, and hear brief reflections from faculty (Lucy Atkinson, Molly Polk, Jay Banner, Kerry Kinney, and Gabriel Diaz Montemayor) who have successfully integrated sustainability into their curricula. Hear about trends in sustainability in teaching and research on campus. Monday, October 23 2017 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in Main 212. To ensure we order enough food, please RSVP http://tinyurl.com/cswlunchandlearn.

Stadium Tour

Did you know that October 7th was a zero-waste football game? Join Rec Sports staff for an in-depth look at their zero-waste operations—and also take in the stadium. Meet at the Food Court near Gates 14 and 16 on Monday, October 23, 2017 by 11:30 a.m. The tour will last 1.5 hours. Space is limited; reserve space here.

Green Buildings Tour

UT Austin recently completed a Sustainability Master Plan, and you can learn more about how this is being implemented by touring campus with Jim Walker. There are two options for joining: Monday, October 23, 2017 at 4 p.m. and Friday, October 27, 2017 at 12 p.m. For both tours, meet at the Martin Luther King Statue near the SAC Building. Space is limited; reserve space here.

Power Plant Tour

How green is our power plant? Very! Learn more about UT Austin energy conservation and consumption while touring the power plant. There are two options for this event: Tuesday, October 24, 2017 at 8 a.m. and Friday, October 27 at 2:30 p.m. The meeting location is PPE on E 24th Street; please look for the sign on the door and head to the conference room. Space is limited; reserve space here.

UT Orchard and Pollinator Garden

Learn about ongoing efforts to create pollinator gardens and an on-campus fruit orchard, as well as get tips that you can take home to help pollinators in Central Texas--especially native bees. This tour will start at the northwest corner of San Jacinto and E 24th Street on Tuesday, October 24 at 11 a.m. Space is limited; reserve space here.

Garden Open House

Interested in learning more about campus farming? Stop by DHFS’ Kinsolving garden to learn about what we are growing, how we grow it, and where it all goes! This tour will take place Thursday, October 26, between 5 and 6 p.m. Meet at Kinsolving Courtyard.

Zero-Waste Workshop

Learn about the campus’s zero-waste goal, how to promote proper waste diversion in your workspace, and what’s coming soon from UT Austin's sustainability staff. This workshop will be a great opportunity to ask any burning questions you may have about waste and recycling and is co-hosted by UT Resource Recovery and the Green Offices program. Join this workshop in the Eastwoods Room of the Texas Union on Tuesday, October 24 from 12 to 1 p.m. Space is limited; reserve space here.

Campus Sustainability Week Tabling Fair

Learn about all of the student organizations and stakeholders working towards sustainability on the UT Austin campus at this event held between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Wednesday, October 25, along the Speedway Mall.

Sustainability on Tap

Grad students, faculty and staff: Are you interested in what other UT grad students are working on or do you have a passion for the environment? Hear from fellow grad students as they present their sustainability or environmental research in fun, fast-paced, 3-minute talks on Wednesday, October 25 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. in the SAC Ballroom South (SAC 2.412). This is a zero-waste event, so we encourage you to BYO-mug (16oz or less!) and enjoy a local brew, on us! RSVP

Talk: Sustainability Means Say Goodbye to Fast Fashion

Fast fashion is a tedious cycle where natural resources are harvested fast, textiles are produced fast, garments are created fast and clothes are shipped to retailers fast in order to capture the most current fashion trends. Join faculty member Peggy Blum of Department of Textiles and Apparel in the School of Human Ecology as she discusses both the Copenhagen Fashion Summit, the world’s largest and most important event on sustainability in fashion, and the Circle Project, a research and design collaboration featuring international educators and students striving to create new business models in the clothing supply chain. The talk is Monday, October 23, from 12 to 1 p.m. at BUR 130.

Talk: Careers in Sustainability Series

Sara Law of the Sustainable Food Center will discuss career opportunities in Austin as part of the Careers in Sustainability Series. This talk will be held in CLA 1.302E (the Glickman Conference Center) on Wednesday, October 25 at 12 p.m.

Talk: Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is—Why What You Buy May Not Reflect Your Moral Values

The Texas Enterprise Speaker Series has a lunch and learn with Professor Julie Irwin, Department of Business, Government, and Society, McCombs School of Business. The talk is Wednesday, October 25, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the AT&T Executive Education and Conference Center, Room 202. The cost is $25. Contact Gayle Hight.

Longhorn Lights Out

A student-run organization, Longhorn Lights Out works to save energy at UT Austin with a fun monthly event. Students gather in CLA (room to be determined), break into small groups to target different classrooms and public spaces, and return to the central location to both quantify their effort and eat pizza as part of a zero-waste meal. Please contact the organization if you wish to join the event on Friday, October 27 at 6 p.m.

Author: Kristin Elise Phillips, Communications Coordinator, Office of Sustainability