Greek Life has been evaluating its environmentally responsible initiatives in 2018! The Office for Sustainability is happy to announce its partnership with the Greek Life community in an effort to expand sustainability awareness within the University of Arkansas campus. The program is designed to incorporate sustainable initiatives into the everyday lives of the organizations' members, as well as their houses. 

Organizations that implement and report on sustainability programs will achieve a Greek Life Sustainability rating of either Certified, Silver, or Gold. The GLS rating is based upon member involvement in community engagement and strategic efficiency efforts made within the organizations' home. Categories on the GLS Scorecard include: Administration, Waste Reduction, Awareness, Efficiency, and Innovation. These categories touch on responsible leadership as demonstrated by a Sustainability Chair, recycling systems, energy usage, food recovery, and the ability to apply sustainable solutions within the context of each house.

The Office for Sustainability would like to congratulate Zeta Tau Alpha on their Gold rating, and Kappa Delta and Kappa Kappa Gamma on earning a Silver recognition. By tracking and monitoring cost-efficiencies, environmental deficiencies, as well as creating a strategized plan for future projects, these individual chapters have taken responsibility and ownership in positively impacting our campus. Initiatives they have taken on include: transforming recruitment week into a Zero Waste event, providing ceramic mugs over Styrofoam cups, and offering recycling bins on each floor of their house.

With the help of Greek Life, the University will be at a greater advantage to achieve its goals of zero waste by 2040, carbon neutrality by 2040, and an increase in environmental education. The program will be renewed annually and is expected to grow within the upcoming years! 

If you'd like to see about your organization participating in the current program, contact sustain@uark.edu for more information.