Arkansas Union Introduces New Sustainability Initiatives

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Volunteer to work with the Arkansas Union sustainability team.

The Arkansas Union is beginning to incorporate modern sustainability practices into its operations. This is going to mean some changes in the building, with more robust recycling stations and food waste being diverted for composting, among other things.

This decision was made to bring the Arkansas Union into alignment with campus sustainability goals such as carbon neutrality by 2040 and 90 percent waste diversion from the landfill. To meet these goals, staff in the Arkansas Union are taking the following actions to launch the program in its first phase: 

• Select serviced low-waste events
• Recycling and environmental education
• Food court compost collection
• Standardizing recycling bins

The Arkansas Union started removing individual recycling bins in rooms and replacing them with a more robust recycling station on floors 1, 2, 3, A3 and 5. These stations are stocked with information that highlights our environmentally focused campus partners, and features facts related to the Northwest Arkansas environment.

"If you would like to get involved with these projects, there are multiple volunteer opportunities at different times of day and frequency," said EllaFei Flesher, Union's sustainability intern. "Volunteers will be able to support environmental education through informational tabling, collect food waste from the Union food court for composting, aid in diverting waste at select Union events and more." 

To see all our resources and opportunities, please visit the UInion's Sustainability Sharepoint site and request access. You can also sign up to volunteer on GivePulse.

"We ask the campus community for its patience as adjustments are made to implement this new normal. We have an ethical and moral obligation to help sustain Arkansas' beautiful scenery for future generations of Razorbacks to enjoy," said Lance Grigsby, Arkansas Union administrative support supervisor. "Arkansas Union staff, with the help of our local and campus partners, intend to meet that obligation to the best of our ability."

For more information lease contact the Arkansas Union sustainability intern, Ella Fei Flesher, at unionst@uark.edu.