Sustainability @ UNC

November 27, 2017

Sustainability @ UNC distributes a periodic newsletter containing our recent news stories along with information about upcoming events and sustainability job and internship opportunities. To receive this newsletter, join our listserv.

Green Tip

Celebrate the season sustainably with reusable dinnerware, glasses, and napkins. Not only is it better for the environment, but who likes cutting holiday ham with a plastic knife and hoping the sauce won’t soak through the paper plate? If you must use disposables, choose plates, cups, utensils, and napkins made from 100 percent post-consumer recycled paper, sugarcane and corn—they are compostable!

Travel Green

Heading out of town for Winter Break or the Holidays? UNC has convenient and affordable options!

• Need to get to the airport? Students can sign up for the free P2P airport shuttle to RDU. GoTriangle also serves RDU, Durham, and Raleigh.

• Going across NC or out of state? Take GoTriangle Route 400 or 405 to Durham Station to catch an Amtrak train, Greyhound bus, or Megabus.

• Looking for a carpool? Use your Onyen login to find ride matches at unc.sharetheridenc.org.

Sustainability on Campus

UNC Food For All Alternative Spring Break

Spend your spring break traveling the state to learn about North Carolina's food system with an alternative break sponsored by UNC's Food for All initiative! Road trip from the Outer Banks to the mountains to look at everything from the fishing industry to urban agriculture to hog farms. Students will hear from local experts, advocates, and farmworkers who have firsthand knowledge about food production, culture, and access in North Carolina. There will also be opportunities to volunteer at farms and food access organizations.

Interested students should apply by November 30^th.

Campus Sustainability Events

Check out our full online events calendar for more great sustainability events happening this month.

FoodCon 2017 – The Business of Sustainable Food Systems

Join UNC, Duke, and NC State on December 8, 2017 at UNC’s Kenan-Flagler Business School for FoodCon 2017. The conference aims to increase awareness and understanding of the sustainable food industry as well as support and grow the industry here in North Carolina and throughout the country.

Carolina in the News

Carolina Dining Services Reduces Food Waste

Carolina Dining Services hosted two events in November to reduce UNC-Chapel Hill’s food waste and in support of the UNC Three Zeros Environmental Initiative’s goal of zero waste. The first event was called Feeding the 500 where chefs prepared meals using food that would have been thrown away due to cosmetic reasons. The second event was a partnership between CDS and FLO (Fair, Local, Organic) Food, a student organization that promotes sustainable food practices, for a Green Meal at Chase Dining Hall which weighed food waste so that students could see how their eating habits can affect global sustainability efforts. Through these events, students were able to learn about sustainability through food waste while learning more about the #CleanYourPlate campaign and the UNC Three Zeros Environmental Initiative.

UNC-Chapel Hill Launches Bike Share Program

Tar Heel Bikes, a new bike share program that provides affordable, environmentally friendly transportation across campus, was launched on October 25. One hundred bikes, supplied by Gotcha Bike and sponsored for the inaugural year by Burt’s Bees, are available to be checked out to students, faculty and staff. See how you can ride here!

UNC-Chapel Hill Recognized at GoTriangle's Golden Modes Awards

UNC-Chapel Hill Transportation and Parking has again been recognized at GoTriangle’s Golden Modes awards ceremony for its dedication to commuter access, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and long-running history of service to the University. Triangle Best Workplaces for Commuters presented Transportation and Parking with the Best Workplaces for Commuters Longevity Award in recognition of their 15-year collaboration. UNC Transportation and Parking is the longest participating university partner with their organization.

Jobs and Internships

Check out our online job postings for sustainability jobs locally and around the country! We will continue to post sustainability-related jobs and internships available at UNC in this newsletter.

Undergrad Research Assistant Opportunity in Health and Environmental Change

The Spatial Health Research Group, led by Dr. Mike Emch, is seeking an undergrad Research Assistant to work on projects relating to health outcomes and environmental change in Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. The RA will work with PhD students to download and clean spatial data, and perform GIS and remote sensing analyses. The student will also have the opportunity to attend research group meetings, define their own research question, and develop a project. Applicants should have familiarity with at least one GIS, remote sensing, or statistics software package, and have an interest gaining research skills in infectious disease geography. The RA opportunity will start at the beginning of the Spring 2018 semester, and will be paid hourly as part of an NSF REU opportunity.

If you are interested, please contact Dr. Emch's PhD student, Cory Keeler, at cykeeler@live.unc.edu. When you email her, include a paragraph about relevant coursework/work experience and why you are interested in the RA opportunity, and attach your resume to the email.