Educational Alliance for Sustainable Florida

     The Educational Alliance for Sustainable Florida (EASF) is a brand new network of university and college leaders engaged in sustainability efforts. Last week (January 25 & 26) the first gathering was held at the University of Florida. These two days were spent networking with representatives from schools across the state. The conference was divided into two parts: the Florida Student Sustainability Summit, and the EASF Roundtable.
     I was fortunate enough to split my time between these events and participate both as a student from the University of North Florida and as the National Wildlife Federation Southeast Fellow. The student summit focused on sustainable food on campus, renewable energy/carbon offset, and student sustainability efforts on campus. The second day was primarily focused on green careers and student workshops.
     On the other end of campus the roundtables were taking place. The two days of roundtables focused on developing this Florida sustainability network into a strong alliance. We have found that even with our annual Sustainable Florida meeting (formally Sustainable Florida was a combination of both businesses as well as schools. This has just split into EASF as the school network, and Sustainable Florida as a business network), that it is challenging to keep a strong network across the state. Many suggestions came out of the meetings and these new concepts will restructure the way all of the campuses communicate and keep current tabs on sustainability initiatives.
     The main idea is developing a detailed website with current information on all of the schools across Florida. Including representative contact information and current events will allow people from all over quick, reliable information to our sustainability efforts. This is key in order to avoid "reinventing the wheel" which is a phrase I continuously hear at these environmental events. By having access to all of the information about projects you can learn about the previous success and failure stories, and how to learn from what other schools went through. This step helps avoid unnecessary problems.  
    Another suggestion moving forward is to divide the EASF network into North, Central, and South Florida regions and to encourage more frequent regional gatherings. These regional divisions will allow schools the opportunity to get to know the schools within their region on a much more personal level. This will also allow the opportunity to work with other schools more frequently because the travel will be significantly less expensive, and it is more convenient to travel around the region, rather than the state. This will also encourage tighter networks because more meetings will be possible.
     While the newly formed sustainability network was a major theme during this event there were other major topics discussed. Climate change, waste reduction, sustainable food, and funding sustainability programs were other major contenders for leading issues.
For more information on the EASF event visit- EASF Roundtable Event
    
     One of the major reasons I love attending these events is because it allows me the opportunity to show how proud I am of my university. It feels really rewarding to be represented at major conferences with huge schools around the country. This is my fifth year at UNF, and I have seen the school grow drastically since I arrived in 2006. There are so many initiatives going on behind the scenes that most students do not know about. There are also so many ways to get involved on campus (a lot of fun events, not all stuffy conferences). I am very fortunate to attend a university with so many passionate people working with the goal of Sustainability in mind. For more information on ways to get involved visit our website UNF Environmental Center or just feel free to drop in to our new offices in Building 1 Room 2200.