Sustainability News

KLB names Dr. Carol Lunn co-chair of the University Sustainability Coalition

The KLB University Sustainability Coalition is a network of colleges and universities with an interest in increasing higher education sustainability efforts in Louisiana.

“It’s an honor to have Carol selected as the co-chair of the University Sustainability Coalition. Through her leadership, her department helps the UNO community succeed in creative, innovative, and scholarly research. In her 23 years at UNO, Carol built a team focused on customer service and compliance. The Office of Research provides support, training and mentorship for all research activities and generates opportunities for collaboration with external partners in the community,” said Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser.

Under Lunn's leadership, Keep UNO Beautiful has grown sustainability efforts on campus. The affiliate is committed to planning Earth Day events, regular litter cleanups, sponsoring mural projects, planting native plant gardens, working to reduce campus waste, and maintaining UNO’s status as a recognized Arbor Day Foundation “Tree Campus.”

Lunn recently received her Ph.D. in urban studies, and her dissertation focused on environmental sustainability in higher education. In addition to serving as the UNO facilitator for Keep UNO Beautiful, she is a co-director of the UNO Sustainability Circle and the advisor to the UNO Garden Club.

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Keep UNO Beautiful wins Outstanding University Affiliate award

At the annual Keep Louisiana Beautiful (KLB) State Conference in Baton Rouge, Keep UNO Beautiful won an Everyday Hero Award as the Outstanding University Affiliate.

The Outstanding University Affiliate Award is presented to a KLB University Affiliate that has demonstrated strong leadership and a growing presence in their campus community. Recipients' efforts should have not only resulted in visible and measurable changes but also led to a cultural shift, with more students, faculty, and staff committed to reducing waste, preventing litter, and improving the appearance of their campus.

As stated in KLB's announcement, "Keep UNO Beautiful, led by Carol Lunn, has been growing sustainability efforts on campus year after year. The Affiliate is committed to planning Earth Day events, organizing litter cleanups, sponsoring campus mural projects, planting native gardens, working to reduce campus waste, and maintaining UNO’s status as an Arbor Day Foundation Tree Campus. Keep UNO Beautiful also received KLB grants to install water bottle refill stations and to mark storm drains."

The KLB conference is an annual educational training and networking forum welcoming all individuals, Keep America Beautiful Affiliates, universities, state and local governmental agencies, community and business partners, and non-profit organizations.

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Earl K. Long Library featured on WGNO for "Get Down & Clean Up" anti-litter program

The University of New Orleans Earl K. Long Library and UNO students were featured on WGNO New Orleans for their participation in Keep Louisiana Beautiful's "Get Down & Clean Up" anti-litter program.

KLB has partnered with the Louisiana State Library and the Louisiana Public Library System to make litter clean up supplies readily available for check out at local libraries across the state. You can now use your library card to check out a clean up kit, which includes a safety vest, grabbers, a trash bag, and instructions on how to conduct your cleanup. This program provides the perfect opportunity for students to get service hours for school. It’s also a great hands-on way for families, small homeschool groups, youth groups, and scouts to care for their neighborhood.

The Earl K. Long Library is the first in Orleans Parish to participate in the program!

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UNO awarded recycling grant

The University of New Orleans has been awarded a $5,000 grant from Keep Louisiana Beautiful to help the university expand its on-campus recycling program. The University Affiliate Grant will be used to purchase new recycling bins with wheels and lids, which will make it easier to transport collected recycling from the bin locations across campus to the recycling dumpsters.

The primary anticipated outcome of this project is to educate students and employees on what can be recycled in the City of New Orleans and therefore on UNO’s campus. By educating the community, UNO hopes to increase recycling on campus by providing the means to change behavior.

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UNO Birding releases annual report for FY 2022-2023

UNO Birding has accomplished much in the 2022-2023 academic and fiscal year. To celebrate these achievements, they have released their second annual report and newsletter!

Click the link below to read or download.

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UNO Native Plant Garden recognized as 100th certified habitat in New Orleans

UNO's second Native Plant Garden has been designated as a certified Louisiana habitat by the Native Plant Initiative of Greater New Orleans. The designation recognizes UNO for preserving and promoting the state's natural heritage via native plant gardens which benefit wildlife and natural ecosystems.

The native plant garden, overseen by Assistant Professor Chris Belser, has also been recognized as the 100th certified habitat in the New Orleans area. The program’s milestone and UNO’s certification will be marked during a 9 a.m. ceremony at the Amphitheater garden on July 6.

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UNO and The Beach at UNO launch Wind Scholars Program

In response to the growing demand for engineers working in clean energy, the Louisiana Wind Energy Hub at UNO, a collaboration between the University of New Orleans and The Beach at UNO, has launched the Wind Scholars Program. The program will award five scholarships of up to $5,000 to undergraduate and graduate students in the Dr. Robert A. Savoie College of Engineering who are interested in acquiring skills and knowledge in the realm of renewable energy.

To qualify for the scholarship, junior or senior undergraduate students must choose one of four available paths, consisting of four courses, that corresponds to their degree program: civil engineering, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, or naval architecture and marine engineering. Graduate engineering students will pursue a track consisting of graduate-level courses. Each student will also be paired with an industry partner and receive a paid internship or summer experience with that company.

RWE, Entergy and Gulf Wind Technology have already signed on as industry partners and will host an industry speaker series for UNO students.

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25-year energy partnership with LAEP to improve campus infrastructure

Louisiana Energy Partners (LAEP), a partnership between Bernhard LLC and Johnson Controls Inc., and the University of New Orleans (UNO) announced today a 25-year Energy-as-a-Service (EaaS) partnership to renew UNO’s campus energy infrastructure, reduce campus Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions, and provide additional capital to advance UNO’s core academic and research mission. Within UNO’s existing operating budget, the University will generate $2.1 million of annual utility cost savings while addressing nearly $9 million of deferred maintenance during the lifetime of the partnership.

UNO’s 200-acre lakefront campus in New Orleans will see $27 million of upfront energy infrastructure and building improvements deployed within the first 24 months of the partnership. These improvements include a 1.8 MWdc solar array, renewal of the campus chilled water systems, upgrading building assets including air handling systems, efficiency improvements to lighting and building water systems, and retro-commissioning of building automation systems. In addition, UNO will transfer operations and maintenance (O&M) risk of their campus energy infrastructure to Bernhard’s team of experts.

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UNO contributed to Louisiana’s updated $50 billion coastal master plan

Four University of New Orleans researchers contributed to the creation of Louisiana’s updated $50 billion coastal master plan, which is the state’s proposed guiding document to address the challenges of land loss and coastal flood risk.

The Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA) released a draft of The 2023 Louisiana Coastal Master Plan on Jan. 6. The plan lays out the state’s priorities for implementing restoration and risk reduction projects that officials say will result in a more sustainable coast.

UNO earth and environmental sciences professors Madeline Foster-Martinez, Ioannis Georgiou, Denise Reed and research associate Ann O'Connell contributed to the 2023 draft plan.

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Fine Arts students paint more bird murals, raising climate change awareness

UNO fine arts students are taking inspiration from the Audubon Mural Project and using the National Audubon Society’s report “Survival by Degrees” to select the species to highlight. Kathy Rodriguez, assistant professor of fine arts at UNO, has incorporated the mural creation as a service learning course for her Painting III class.

The public-art initiative celebrates birds while drawing attention to the risk climate change poses to both birds and people, mural organizers said. UNO is the first university in the country to participate in the Audubon Mural Project, said Carol Lunn, assistant vice president for research and economic development. Lunn is spearheading the projects, which are a part of the Keep UNO Beautiful initiative.

The second mural project is currently underway on four Fine Arts Building doors facing the Fine Arts Woodlot.The murals—one is a Seaside Sparrow and the other features a Swallow-Tailed Kite—are expected to be completed by the end of the fall semester.

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Sustainability Circle celebrates America Recycles Day

The UNO Sustainability Circle hosted UNO's first ever Recycling Day as part of Keep America Beautiful's "America Recycles Day."

"America Recycles Day" is Keep America Beautiful's nationally recognized day dedicated to promoting and celebrating recycling in the United States. In mid-November every year, event organizers provide recycling education through nationwide community events.

The Sustainability Circle's committee on recycling hosted a tabling event at the Earl K. Long Library, providing students and employees with the opportunity to learn more about the benefits of recycling. The City of New Orleans is once again offering recycling city-wide, and attendees were educated about the expanded initiative.

Attendees were also encouraged to volunteer with the Sustainability Circle, join the UNO Garden Club, and/or sign up for Keep UNO Beautiful's upcoming Recycling Ambassador Program coming to campus in Spring 2023.

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Keep UNO Beautiful honored at state conference

Organizers from Keep UNO Beautiful attended the Keep Louisiana Beautiful State Conference, where University Affiliate Coordinator Carol Lunn participated in a panel. Keep UNO Beautiful was honored as one of the flagship university affiliate programs for Keep Louisiana Beautiful.

"Keep Louisiana Beautiful has put together a large series of best practices. It's almost a plug-and-play model," Lunn said in a videotaped interview during the conference. "I can also contact the other affiliates and ask them for advice. And that really makes it much easier and more approachable for universities. Without having to put out a lot of resources, [we] get a lot of benefit from this program."

Keep Louisiana Beautiful’s State Conference is an annual educational training and networking forum welcoming all individuals, Keep America Beautiful Affiliates, universities, state and local government agencies, community and business partners, and non-profit organizations.

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UNO celebrates native plant garden, Privateer Pocket Park, and environmental mural

On Friday, September 30 and Saturday, October 1, Keep UNO Beautiful celebrated the grand opening for three pilot projects on campus: the first native plant garden, the first Privateer Pocket Park, and the first installment of the Audubon Mural Project at UNO.

The native plant garden was designated a Gold Level Louisiana Certified Habitat by the Louisiana Native Plant Society.

UNO students, faculty, and staff as well as neighbors from our community gathered outside the Administration Annex to see the new entrance garden, the Administration Courtyard, and the Pine Warbler mural painted by UNO art students. Organizers estimate more than 300 people were in attendance over the course of the two days.

  

"It was wonderful to see people enjoy our campus," said Carol Lunn, university affiliate coordinator for Keep UNO Beautiful and assistant vice president of research and economic development. "I look forward to working with these partners on future projects to benefit our campus and our community."

The Native Plant Initiative of Greater New Orleans sponsored a free native plant giveaway. Over the course of the two days, NPI gave away nearly 700 native plants before donating additional plants to the UNO Garden Club.

See our Grounds Work & Habitats page to learn more about all these programs.

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UNO releases annual sustainability report for FY 2021-2022

The University of New Orleans, Keep UNO Beautiful, the UNO Sustainability Circle, and other eco-friendly partners on campus have accomplished much in the 2021-2022 academic and fiscal year. To celebrate these achievements, we have released our first annual UNO Sustainability Report!

Click the link below to read or download.

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Carol Lunn awarded KLB grant for reducing single-use plastics

The University of New Orleans has been selected as a recipient of the University Affiliate Grant by Keep Louisiana Beautiful, the State’s premier anti-litter and community improvement organization. Carol Lunn, assistant vice president for research and economic development, will serve as the principal investigator.

The $5,000 grant will support UNO’s efforts to reduce single use plastics on campus. The University of New Orleans will first focus on reducing single-use plastic bottle pollution by installing bottle refill water fountains in areas most used by students.

By reducing the number of single-use plastics circulating on campus, the university will also reduce the potential for those bottles to escape into the campus or local waterways as trash and marine debris.

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Carol Lunn awarded Healthy Communities grant for storm drain marking project

The University of New Orleans has been selected as a recipient of the Healthy Communities Grant by Keep Louisiana Beautiful, the State’s premier anti-litter and community improvement organization. Carol Lunn, assistant vice president for research and economic development, will serve as the principal investigator.

The $4,100 grant will support UNO’s storm drain marking project. UNO’s campus is adjacent to Lake Pontchartrain, an estuary that leads into the Gulf of Mexico and serves as a nursery for numerous species of animals. Some species have experienced steep declines in population. Any litter or chemicals near storm drains in New Orleans risk contaminating Lake Pontchartrain and the wildlife that depend on it for survival. Litter and debris in storm drains can also clog catch basins, which exacerbates flooding.

This project will create a storm drain marking program at UNO, in which each drain will be marked with information for the community about storm drains emptying into the lake. An inventory of the drains both on and immediately adjacent to campus will be created and added to the University’s new sustainability website. UNO will also develop an environmental education program regarding storm drain runoff.

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Birds of UNO releases annual report for FY 2021-2022

Birds of UNO has accomplished much in the 2021-2022 academic and fiscal year. To celebrate these achievements, they have released their first annual report and newsletter!

Click the link below to read or download.

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UNO launches Louisiana Wind Energy Hub

To accelerate the growth of the state’s wind energy innovation ecosystem, support emerging companies, spur the development of novel technologies and supply trained professionals to the rapidly expanding renewable energy sector, the University of New Orleans, in partnership with the UNO Research & Technology Foundation, has announced the launch of the Louisiana Wind Energy Hub at UNO.

The hub will be located at The Beach at UNO, the University’s research and technology park.

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UNO student artists paint on-campus mural to draw attention to climate change

In Spring 2022, Keep UNO Beautiful and the UNO Office of Research funded a student art project that transformed an otherwise nondescript set of utility doors into a vibrant and poignant art installation drawing attention to local birds affected by climate change.

The collaboration was inspired by the National Audubon Society’s Audubon Mural Project and spearheaded by Carol Lunn, UNO’s assistant vice president for research & economic development in the Office of Research. She is also the university affiliate coordinator for Keep UNO Beautiful.

"In the fall of 2021, I was on a Zoom with a co-worker, and she had a beautiful image of birds as her background, with the logo for the Audubon Mural Project," Lunn said.

The co-worker was Elizabeth Sigler, assistant to the vice president for research & economic development and director of the Center for Undergraduate Research & Creativity.

"After the meeting, we spoke about the mural project, and later I researched it online," Lunn said. "The more I reviewed the site, the more passionate I became about implementing something similar on UNO’s campus!"

As noted on their website, the Audubon Mural Project is informed by Audubon’s groundbreaking science report "Survival By Degrees," which found that climate change threatens 389 birds species—at least half of all North American birds—with extinction.

Lunn hoped that a mural similar to Audubon’s on UNO’s campus would generate attention for UNO’s sustainability initiatives while getting students involved in an in-person project, once classes came back on campus.

Working together with partners nationwide

But realizing this idea required extensive collaboration with various partners. Lunn identified the best location for the mural by walking campus with staff members on her team, and the planned location was approved by Deborah Hadaway, associate vice president for UNO’s Facility Services.

Next, Lunn needed to find UNO artists who could take her concept and implement it. She reached out to Kathy Rodriguez, assistant professor of fine arts at UNO. Rodriguez offered to incorporate the mural as a class project in her spring Painting II course.

As part of the Painting II curriculum, students researched the topic, submitted designs in a competitive selection process, then collectively implemented the selected mural design.

Rodriguez said, "Working collaboratively with so many moving parts on this mural, the first of its kind in Louisiana, has given not only the class but all members of the UNO community a rich and expansive opportunity for learning. I’m grateful to be able to share my experience painting in this format with our students and to learn from them."

With a plan in place, Lunn and Rodriguez reached out to the Audubon Mural Project in New York—and they were quickly connected to several experts who agreed to speak with Rodriguez’s students.

Avi Gitler, one of the co-founders of the Audubon Mural Project, joined Rodriguez’s Painting II class remotely and gave a presentation on the original project. Dr. Erik Johnson, director of bird conservation for Audubon Delta, joined remotely and discussed the importance of the region to local and migratory bird populations as well as the threats posed by climate change.

"Erik is also a talented photographer, and our art students had as many questions about his camera and lenses as they did about the birds!" Lunn laughed.

Nic Dixon, an outreach associate with Audubon Delta, joined the class on-site to document the painting process and interview the students and staff members involved.

Student painters included Lydia Barbry, Zen Castro, Trinity Jackson, Rowan Lambert, Jamie Risbourg, Larrencia Smit, Rebekah Tomblin, Estelle Vanthier, and Daneia Williams.

Julie Landry, office manager for the Office of Research, also photographed and videoed the painting process. She further assisted with the administrative efforts of acquiring the painting supplies.

"So, there is obviously a lot of networking occurring here," Lunn said. "This was all done very organically and in a relatively short amount of time, thanks to technology that enabled free exchange of ideas and dedicated people who love what they do. The hours spent coordinating and sharing knowledge go well beyond what is mentioned here."

Student-driven mural installation features threatened pine warblers

After listening to the guest speakers from Audubon, Rodriguez’s students set to work researching the birds listed in "Survival by Degrees." Each student designed and painted a small-scale idea for a mural. Lunn worked with a committee including the university’s President John Nicklow to select the winning design from all submissions.

Jamie Risbourg, a junior majoring in studio arts, submitted the winning design.

"When I enrolled in this class, I had no idea that we would be doing a mural," Risbourg said. "I have done murals in the past, but on my own. I have never gotten a chance to be a part of a group project for a mural. So, this is really exciting, to not only be involved but, now that this design of mine has been chosen, I get to maybe help oversee some of what is happening as well."

And she did! Throughout the collaborative painting process, Risbourg advised and directed her fellow students, all of whom participated in painting the mural Risbourg designed.

The mural features three pine warblers, one of the bird species listed in "Survival by Degrees" with the highest vulnerability to climate change in Louisiana.

In Risbourg’s mural, the pine warbler is shown in its natural habitat of pine trees along with some of the insects it eats. The pine warbler is a bird commonly found on UNO’s campus—but it is at risk of disappearing.

According to the report, if action is not taken to hold off climate change, a quarter of the pine warblers’ range will be lost as the average temperature warms by 1.5 degrees. 38% of their range could be lost with two degrees of warming, and 59% could be lost with three degrees of warming.

For more information about Risbourg and her experience with painting the mural, watch the Office of Research’s video spotlight on her.

At this time, UNO’s pine warbler mural stands in tribute to the national Audubon Mural Project—but Keep UNO Beautiful has been working with project coordinators to explore opportunities for an official partnership.

Improving ecosystems with native plant gardens

Even so, the mural on its own did not satisfy Lunn’s ambitious plans for the area.

"To create a complete project, I committed to installing a native plant garden next to the mural, so we could tie in art with a complete eco-system," Lunn said. "I met with Dan Scheiman, a Plants for Birds program manager with Audubon Delta in Arkansas. He gave me some great information, and he set UNO up in the Spring 2022 Louisiana Native Plant Sale, so people could donate plants right to our garden!"

According to the Audubon website, the Plants for Birds program is "designed to help inform and encourage individuals and communities to grow native plants that benefit wildlife. By adding native plants in one’s yard, balcony, container garden, or public space, individuals can not only attract more birds but give them the best chance of survival in a modern landscape of fragmented habitat, and in the face of climate change."

In addition to receiving the native plant donations, Lunn worked with Tammany Baumgarten, a licensed horticulturist, owner of Baumgardens, Inc., and president of the Native Plant Initiative of Greater New Orleans. Thanks to their partnership, the landscaped area on the eastern side of the UNO Administration Annex is now a native plant garden designed to attract birds, bees, and butterflies.

"Audubon helped make UNO’s campus a living lab—that allowed students to implement what they learned in the classroom—all while beautifying campus and bringing attention to environmental issues," Lunn said. "This was a successful semester with amazing teamwork!"

Read more in the UNO News press release.

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Keep UNO Beautiful recognized among premier class of KLB university affiliates

Keep Louisiana Beautiful (KLB) graduated its first class of University Affiliates with the close of the school year, welcoming the University of New Orleans along with Grambling State University, Louisiana State University, Nicholls State University, Tulane University, University of Louisiana at Lafayette (ULL), and Xavier University of Louisiana. The KLB University Affiliate program, engaging college students in environmental stewardship and sustainability practices, is now the largest program of its kind in the U.S.

This recognition comes after Keep UNO Beautiful worked throughout the 2021-2022 school year to complete a waste audit, conduct a litter survey, and develop a work plan for encouraging more sustainable activity at the University of New Orleans.

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UNO introduces sustainable practices to residential halls' move-out day

At the end of the spring 2022 semester, partners from Keep UNO Beautiful and the UNO Sustainability Circle worked with Goodwill and the UNO Privateer Pantry to reduce the environmental impact of students moving out of on-campus housing.

Students do not always wish to take everything from student housing with them when they leave. In the past, these items were typically placed into waste containers. This year, students were able to donate items in good condition to Goodwill and unopened, shelf-stable food and personal care items to the UNO Privateer Pantry. Instead of being sent to a landfill, these items can now be re-used by those in need of them.

"Goodwill was a fantastic partner who came to campus several times over the two-day move-out," said Carol Lunn, university affiliate coordinator for Keep UNO Beautiful and assistant vice president for research and economic development. “They helped us keep appliances, computers, electronics, cookware, clothing, and linens out of landfills. Numerous boxes of food and personal care items were also donated to UNO’s Privateer Pantry, which provides supplemental food support to all currently-enrolled UNO students."

Students and their families provided such positive feedback that UNO plans to continue with these sustainable practices in future move-out events.

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Office of Research awards Innovation Challenge sustainability grant to Chris Belser

The UNO Office of Research and the UNO Research Council awarded a $10,000 Innovation Challenge grant to Dr. Christopher Belser, assistant professor of counselor education, for his proposed sustainability project, "Project SEED (Supporting EcoLeadership & EcoWellness Development)."

Project SEED is an "applied eco-leadership development initiative centered on environmental sustainability and eco-wellness." According to Belser's proposal application, "three UNO students will complete National Wildlife Federation (NWF) Campus EcoLeader Certification by cultivating and maintaining three on-campus greenspaces that support native biodiversity and campus sustainability efforts. In addition to providing signage meant to educate the campus community on the contents and ecological benefits of each greenspace, the students will incorporate signage that promotes eco-wellness."

Applications for UNO's internal grant programs will open again in Fall 2022.

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UNO invites regional partners to campus in celebration of Earth Day

The UNO Sustainability Circle, Keep UNO Beautiful, and community partners gathered in the breezeway of the Earl K. Long Library on Friday, April 22 to celebrate Earth Day.

Attendees participated by talking nature walks with UNO birders, exploring UNO's campus in a sustainability scavenger hunt, learning about bike safety, taking home native plant seeds, and more. As part of Louisiana's "Love the Boot" campaign, attendees also volunteered to clean UNO's campus in a litter pickup event.

Participating Earth Day partners included Bike Easy New Orleans, Chartwells, Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana, Keep Louisiana Beautiful, Keep UNO Beautiful, Master Naturalist GNO, Mosquito Termite & Rodent Control Board, Native Plant Initiative of Greater New Orleans, Orleans Audubon Society, UNO Garden Club, Water Institute of the Gulf, and various UNO departments & student organizations.

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Help UNO support local bird populations with native plants—donate a perennial flower, shrub, or tree today!

At the University of New Orleans, we aim to decrease the risks climate change presents to local bird populations. As part of our efforts, UNO art students are painting murals on campus to highlight the birds being threatened, taking inspiration from the Audubon Mural Project and using the National Audubon Society’s report “Survival by Degrees” to select the species to highlight.

For our first mural, we are showcasing the Pine Warbler!

Keep UNO Beautiful would like to install a garden next to this mural, one consisting of native plants selected to benefit the Pine Warbler. Your purchase of a flowering perennial, shrub, or tree will directly benefit birds in our area and provide students with an on-campus living lab equipped for environmental education.

Audubon Delta has generously allowed UNO to receive donations through their Spring 2022 Louisiana Native Plant Sale. The online donation form only takes a moment to fill out, and the cost of donations starts at $8!

According to Audubon, “By simply choosing native plants for our yards and public spaces, we can restore vital habitat for birds and help them adapt and survive to an ever-changing world. Audubon’s Plants for Birds program is designed to enable anyone to have a positive conservation impact!”

HOW TO DONATE:

1. Visit Keep UNO Beautiful’s donation page on the Audubon Plants for Birds website.
2. Select a donation of a flowering perennial, a shrub, or a tree (in any quantity)!
3. Enter your email address.
4. Enter your payment information.
5. Celebrate your contribution to bird health and student education!
    

NOTE: Online ordering will close on Thursday, March 31 at 8:00 PM! If you’d like to donate, please do so before then!

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UNO conducts waste audit for Keep Louisiana Beautiful

On March 16, 2022, Keep UNO Beautiful conducted a waste audit of five separate locations on UNO's campus. The waste audit was conducted as part of Keep UNO Beautiful's efforts to become a certified University Affiliate of Keep Louisiana Beautiful.

"Despite recycling challenges in New Orleans, UNO is very dedicated to minimizing our landfill waste to protect the health of our community and our planet," said Samantha West, laboratory safety officer for the UNO Office of Research and coordinator for the waste audit. "We hope that facilitating this waste audit will give us the information we need to move forward with developing landfill reduction methods and policies."

Other volunteers included Matthew Tarr, vice president for research and economic development; Carol Lunn, assistant vice president for research and economic development; David Richardson, director of environmental health & safety; Erik Wahl, director of external collaboration; Juana Ibanez, planning & urban studies instructor; and Julie Landry, office manager for the UNO Office of Research.

The audit showed that food packaging contributes the most to on-campus waste, particularly single-use items such as utensils, cups, lids, straws, and to-go containers.

The detailed results of the audit are included below, itemized by location and by material type:

By Location
Location	Estimated Volume	Estimated Weight	Percentage By Weight
Kirschman Hall	6.13 ft3	11.1 lbs	29.2%
Recreation & Fitness Center	2.42 ft3	3.01 lbs	7.9%
University Center	5.92 ft3	5.6 lbs	14.7%
Earl K. Long Library	10.98 ft3	16.1 lbs	42.4%
Biology Building	1.39 ft3	2.2 lbs	5.8%
Total:	26.84 ft3	38.01 lbs	100%

 

By Material
Material	Estimated Volume	Estimated Weight	Percentage By Weight
Paper	8.79 ft3	5.5 lbs	14.5%
Metal	1.14 ft3	1.3 lbs	3.4%
Organics	0.45 ft3	8.1 lbs	21.3%
Glass	0.01 ft3	0.01 lbs	0.03%
Mixed Materials	2.03 ft3	2.1 lbs	5.5%
Container(s) with Content	4.27 ft3	9 lbs	23.7%
Plastic	10.15 ft3	12 lbs	31.6%
Total:	26.84 ft3	38.01 lbs	100%

 

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Gov. Edwards announces Task Force on Statewide Litter Abatement and Beautification

The Governor’s Task Force on Statewide Litter Abatement and Beautification will work to find policy solutions for Louisiana’s litter problem, educate the public, and promote community litter abatement activities. Created by executive order and managed by the Keep Louisiana Beautiful program in the Lieutenant Governor’s office, the Task Force of 26 members will make recommendations to the Governor by July 1, 2022.

As part of the executive order, the Governor also declared that the fourth Saturday of each month will be designated as a "Love the Boot. Don't Pollute" Day across the state, where officials and neighborhood groups will be encouraged to conduct targeted events to pick up litter in their communities.

Stay tuned to Keep UNO Beautiful for news about our forthcoming event!

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UNO commences effort to join Keep Louisiana Beautiful University Affiliate program

Thanks to the efforts of the UNO Sustainability Circle, the UNO Office of Research, and dedicated faculty and staff members on campus, the University of New Orleans is taking the necessary steps to become a certified University Affiliate of Keep Louisiana Beautiful!

Being a Keep Louisiana Beautiful university affiliate is a special mark of distinction and represents a commitment by the university to continual improvement in sustainability and environmental issues, promoting student environmental stewardship and engagement, and rigorous outcome measurement. It offers state recognition and sends a strong message to university stakeholders, as well as city, state, and national leaders. It signifies that we are part of a greater movement of over 600 national affiliates and 40 state affiliates that have a proven track record of behavioral change and preserving the beauty of Louisiana.

The process to become a certified University Affiliate involves a commitment to litter prevention, waste reduction, and beautification on campus—and it may take a year or more to complete. But the University of New Orleans is dedicated to the process!

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UNO joins Keep Louisiana Beautiful's University Sustainability Coalition

To open lines of communication and initiate a network focused on increasing higher education sustainability efforts in Louisiana, Keep Louisiana Beautiful established the University Sustainability Coalition. The Univeristy of New Orleans is one of 15 colleges and universities to join the coalition.

The group meets for eight months throughout the academic school year with one goal: to increase higher education sustainability efforts in Louisiana.

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Office of Research announces Innovation Challenge grant for sustainability projects

The UNO Office of Research and the UNO Research Council announced a new internal grant program aiming to fund environmental sustainability projects on UNO's campus.

The program requires participation from a faculty mentor and a team of students from two or more colleges, and applicants are encouraged to seek additional matching funds from off-campus residents.

Proposal applications must be submitted to the Office of Research by December 10, 2021.

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UNO receives grant to create urban bird habitat on campus

The University of New Orleans has received a $34,000 grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to create an urban bird habitat on campus and support educational programming connected to environmental conservation. The grant will fund habitat restoration, the creation of a birding trail on campus and educational experiences for UNO TRiO Upward Bound students.

The project will establish a 1-mile birding trail at UNO—with interpretive signage, designated parking and an accompanying website—and initiate regular bird counts to monitor populations along the route. The Greater New Orleans chapters of the Native Plant Initiative and Louisiana Master Naturalists will work with volunteers to plant 120 native trees and shrubs at two sites along the trail—totaling 4 acres, enhancing campus canopy and providing birds with needed refuge.

Assistant Professor of Philosophy Dan Shahar is the lead principal investigator; John Bishop and Elizabeth Sigler from the UNO Office of Research are co-principal investigators.

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Green initiatives include recycling, energy-efficient lights, bicycle fix-it station

The UNO Sustainability Circle has implemented several green initiatives around campus including a new bicycle fix-it station (located between the University Center and the Recreation & Fitness Center), a new recycling team, and the recent installation of thousands of energy efficient bulbs around campus. These bulbs not only saves money—they also brighten the campus and improve safety.

Thanks to the recycling efforts, there are recycling bins in each building and four designated dumpsters: (1) near the Geology/Psychology Building, (2) near the Liberal Arts Building, (3) near the International Center, and (4) near the Recreation & Fitness Center. The bins are for cans and plastics, while the dumpsters are for recycling cardboard boxes and paper. Students and employees can also email recycle@uno.edu to arrange pickup.

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