Faculty and Staff Sustainability Opportunities
Staff and faculty can engage with our office in several ways. If you are interested in being involved in our work in a way that is not addressed below, please reach out to our office.
Recycling Signage
You can help increase the recycling rate, reduce recycling contamination, and improve the UM recycling program by applying recycling signage above and on recycling bins in your academic buildings and/or residence halls. We have worked with University Communications to develop clear and descriptive signage that you can print off for application on small bins and fathead signage for large Max-R recycling bins. Please click here for more information on how to print and order signage. Your help is greatly appreciated!
Green Office & Low Waste Event Guides
If you are looking for tips on how to make your workplace more sustainable and environmentally friendly, we have created a Green Office Guide to help you and your co-workers work together to create a “greener” office at Ole Miss. Every small effort contributes to the wellbeing of a whole; a choice as simple as not using as much paper can make a big impact! We understand hosting events can lead to excessive waste at times, so we have also included a Low Waste Event Guide to help you plan efficiently. Share these guides as a resource for your office and to others, so we can inspire Ole Miss to become more sustainable.
Sustainability Tracking, Assessment, and Rating System (STARS)
The University of Mississippi is engaged in a massive sustainability data collection effort that spans everything within the university, from academics to operations. STARS helps higher education benchmark its sustainability progress. As an AASHE member institution, we use this tool to understand our progress and plan our work. If you are a faculty or staff member, you play a valuable role in assisting with data collection by reporting any sustainability related work completed by your office or department, if you include sustainability concepts in a class that you teach, or if you have operations data that is relevant to our report.
Collaborate with Us
Sustainability work often spans beyond any one office or department. The Office of Sustainability works with several departments (and individual classes) on projects, from our partnership with RebelWell to install H20tty Toddy Hydration Stations on campus, to hosting graduate students from the Department of Nutrition and Hospitality Management for a sustainability-related rotation. We have worked with classes to pilot recycling projects and host service learning activities.
Serve on a Committee
The Office of Sustainability three cross-campus committees: the UM Energy Committee, the Active Transportation Advisory Committee, and the UM Green Fund Committee. Staff and faculty are represented on all three committees. If you are interested in serving on a committee or learning more about what these committees do, contact us at green@olemiss.edu.
Propose a Project
The UM Green Fund is a dedicated fund for sustainability projects. Students, faculty and staff can propose projects to the Green Fund. Learn more about the Green Fund here.
Advise a Student Group
Are you a faculty member with an interest in sustainability? Do you have a passion for empowering student leaders? Advise a student group! Contact us at green@olemiss.edu if interested.
Schedule a Presentation
Teaching a topic related to sustainability? Want to have campus practitioners speak to your students? We present regularly to classes about sustainability and related topics. Sign up now to request a presentation or email green@olemiss.edu to learn more.
Purchase Compost
The UM Compost program converts food waste from campus dining locations to rich soil for flower and vegetable gardens. Our compost is dense with nutrients and is offered at very affordable prices. Learn more about purchasing compost.
Attend an Event
Our office plans and facilitates fun, engaging events around sustainability all year long, from Food Day in the fall to Green Week in the spring. Popular events our office has facilitated in the past have included film screenings, interactive panels, farmers markets and festivals. Check our calendar or subscribe to our newsletter to keep up with the latest events from our office.
Volunteer
Our office is very thankful to the effort of our many passionate volunteers. Anyone can volunteer with our office, whether a student, member of faculty or staff, or an individual from the community. We have regularly occurring volunteer opportunities through the Green Grove and UM Compost programs, but we also occasionally have other opportunities as well, including work days at the Woodlawn-Davis Nature Center, and others. If you are interested in volunteering but don’t know where to begin, or if you would like to inquire about a particular opportunity, email green@olemiss.edu.
UM Garden Club
Do you have a passion for gardening, or are you interested in learning? The UM Garden is maintained on a volunteer basis by faculty, staff, or students, who are then able to harvest the garden’s yield. Gardening is a fun way to spend time outside while also producing something for yourself. If you are interested in this opportunity, email green@olemiss.edu.