Florida Tech Sustainability

Did you know Earth Day started with students?

"Senator Nelson wanted to infuse the energy of student anti-war protests with an emerging public consciousness about air and water pollution.... Senator Ga***rd Nelson recruited Denis Hayes, a young activist, to organize the campus teach-ins and to scale the idea to a broader public, and they chose April 22, a weekday falling between Spring Break and Final Exams, to maximize the greatest student participation."

This spirit persists, not just today, but every day. What does Earth Day mean to you?

https://www.earthday.org/history/

Are you missing any confetti? These golden foil flakes were excavated in Crawford Greens. There have been multiple reports of balloons and confetti escaping during events. Synthetic confetti can become a troublemaker for wildlife and the environment. If you see any in the grass, please help by picking it up and disposing of it in the trash bin, as it is not recyclable. It is best to keep the confetti inside.

As it turns out, we found another kind of confetti, an eco-friendly alternative! Grass and leaves make the perfect DIY confetti for outside.

put together this lineup of fun, fashion, and thrift. We can't wait! Come join in the festivities as we celebrate our only home. Here is the schedule:

Craft Day on Monday, April 8th from 4-8pm at the ResQuad

Sustainable Fashion on Tuesday, April 9th all day at Evans Library. A Seminar will be given from 3:30-5pm

Campus Cleanup on Wednesday, April 10th from 5-7pm, meet at Crawford Greens

Sustainable Camping on Thursday, April 11th from 5:30-7pm at Evans Library Link 204

Thrift Shop on Friday, April 12th from 10-3pm at Crawford Greens

Beach Day and Cleanup on Saturday, April 13th from 10-3pm at Paradise Beach

Florida Tech has maintained a STARS Silver rating in recognition of its sustainability achievements from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE). STARS, the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System, measures and encourages sustainability in all aspects of higher education. This recertification was increased from 50.32 points in the 2020 to 51.51 in this year.

STARS is a comprehensive sustainability rating system for colleges and universities that addresses the environmental, social and economic dimensions of sustainability. Universities are rated based on a cumulative score compiled by achievements in academics, engagement, operations, planning and administration, and innovation.

Certification requires demonstration of rigorous performance across dozens of individual areas within those categories. For example, Academics focuses on curricula and research. Engagement focuses on how sustainability is incorporated into campus life and community partnerships. Operations focuses on campus buildings, energy and transportation.

Introducing the Brevard Boundless Opportunity Program! Do you meet the requirements in the graphic below? Then you're eligible to receive a scholarship that covers your tuition and fees at Florida Tech.

"With this grant, an eligible Brevard County student who enrolls at Florida Tech will owe the university $0 for tuition and fees," said Brian Ehrlich, Florida Tech's vice president for enrollment management.

Learn more about the program: https://news.fit.edu/academics-research/new-grant-program-intended-to-boost-stem-workforce-with-homegrown-talent/

If you pass by these colorful grasshoppers- leave them be! These not-so-small critters are juvenile native Eastern Lubber Grasshoppers.

Big broods + big appetites + big personalities = big ouch.

Lubbers emerge from March to June every year. Normally, the adults are the most visible (growing up to three inches long!), but juveniles can be seen, especially during large breeding events. Lubbers have preferred plants but are not picky eaters. Landscapers and gardeners know this latter fact too well, and tend to regard Lubbers as costly pests.

Lubbers are happy to devour the landscaping, but please do yourself a favor and... don't bite back. Predation is low for a reason: clever loggerhead shrikes alone have found a way to neutralize lubber venom. Humans can survive eating their toxins, but lubbers will still hiss and chomp and spray stinky stuff at you if provoked.

Let's sneak behind the scenes...

Improperly set up hammocks can injure trees. Fortunately, ResLife set up Hammock Parks in the Brownlie Volleyball Court and Southgate Patio. We encourage you and your friends to live like an Oscar nominee and bask in the sunshine for a while! Hammocks can be borrowed from Evan's Library iDesk for 72 hours. You deserve a break.

Image: Hammock strung between two poles in Southgate Patio. Text at the bottom affirms, "No trees were harmed in the making of this picture."

In 2019, a greenhouse gas Inventory revealed commuting was our largest source of GHG (15,645 MTCDE*) followed by purchased utilities (13,994) and food (2,548).

Driving habits can make a difference. Tips:

~ Drive responsibly. Aggressive driving can lower fuel efficiency by up to 33%, and speeds greater than 50 mph can significantly decrease gas mileage.

~ Shut down car if idling for more than one minute. Savings of 14% could be realized.

Florida Tech Sources: FYE 2019 GHG Inventory; 2016 Student Sustainability Guide

*MTCDE: Metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent

Please help us spread the word. Join Us for LOCAL Food Truck Night March, 14th 4:00 -7:00 around Crawford Green. Trucks: DEJA TEA BOBABITES, FOWL MOUTH, GRUMPYS BISCUITS, IDK, BANGKOK STYLE THAI FOOD, THE ROLLING RISOTTO, UDDER DELITE DAIRY BAR, QUEEN B SMOOTHIES, NITRO SUSHI.

Looking forward to tomorrow! 🥰

Across the board, Florida Tech experts are doing just that. They’re fueling change through innovative research and practical, on-the-ground solutions that fortify our coasts, clean our air, strengthen our homes and buildings and help us rebuild resiliently.

https://news.fit.edu/archive/how-well-weather-whats-next/

Don't throw electronics in the trash! Around 50 elements are in a cell phone, several of which are very valuable or hazardous. Repair it if you can, otherwise, dispose properly. Tips on screen.

Florida Tech Student Government Association is hosting a pop tab drive to raise funds for the Ronald McDonald House charity! The charity provides housing for families of children in medical facilities or hospitals.

According to the MRH website,

"Pop tabs are the little aluminum tabs from all kinds of cans: soda, some pet food, canned fruits, vegetables and more....Once the pop tabs are collected, they are taken to be recycled in exchange for dollars, which support the children and families we serve at our Houses."

Did you know the Botanical Gardens is a protected wetland? It's easy to forget, but Florida is built on this kind of ecosystem! We can thank wetlands for providing protection from storms, clean drinking water, fun times, and an all-natural carbon capture system. Here are some interesting facts:

🪴Wetlands collect and slowly release water like a sponge or tub. Wetlands protect settlements from flooding, replenish ground water, and filter pollutants.

🌍Wetlands protect shores from erosion by absorbing energy from waves and trapping soil in root systems.

🌏1/3 of U.S. threatened and endangered species live ONLY in wetlands. Nearly 1/2 rely on wetlands at some point of their lives.

🌍A wetland soil type, peat, stores more carbon than all other vegetation types combined.

Dr. Lindeman has been an extraordinary professor, mentor, and leader. Words cannot capture all he has done for us, but it can try. Please take a few minutes to read Florida Tech New's tribute to his service. Link in biotree and below.

We wish him the finest retirement. Thank you, Dr. Lindeman!
https://news.fit.edu/science/ken-lindeman-father-of-sustainability-at-florida-tech-retires-after-17-years/

Run run run as fast as you can! (To the quad, tomorrow)

Run run run to the quad as fast as you can! (Tomorrow)

Maybe GIS couldn't fit your schedule. Maybe you can't afford to download the software. Or maybe the course filled up too fast- again!

Whatever your GIS woe, our friends at have got your back! Librarian Rob Sippel created a series of instructional videos for using ArcGIS Pro. The software is available to students for FREE on computers in the DSL.

Geographic Information Systems (GIS), mapping data along spacial boundaries, is sought out by many cities and companies in the sustainability field.

Link in bio https://libguides.lib.fit.edu/Intro_to_ArcGIS_Pro

⚠️ You may have seen these four predators lurking around Florida Tech's campus. As pretty as they are, they are invasive and choke out the native ecosystem. We need your help apprehending them.

*Golden Pothos* and *Snake Plant* are popular pet plants. Plant owners, keep them tethered to their pots, please.

*Air Potato* grows on long vines; when the bulbs drop to the ground, the plant can quickly reproduce. This is the time of year air potato vines wither, so now is the perfect time to stop their spread.

*Florida Holly* is alive in the season of jolly. Or should I say, Brazilian Pepper Tree? The Florida Holly (aka Brazilian Pepper Tree) was brought to Florida because it flowers at Christmas and likes the climate here. There are fortunately native hollies to enjoy instead.

Florida Institute of Technology was named a 2024 ‘Green College’ by The Princeton Review, indicating the school has “exceptional programs, policies, and practices related to sustainability and the environment.”

This is the seventh consecutive year the university earned this distinction thanks to the efforts of many around campus. Florida Tech is one of just 13 Florida schools on the 2024 list.

Based primarily on the company’s 2022-23 surveys of administrators and students at 683 colleges about sustainability and sustainability-related campus experiences, the 2024 edition of The Princeton Review Guide to Green Colleges features 522 schools.

The company editors analyzed more than 25 data points from the surveys and sustainability credit reporting to tally Green Rating scores for the schools on a scale of 60 to 99. Colleges that earned a Green Rating of 80 or higher were selected for the 2024 edition.

Florida Tech received a Green Rating of 92, up two points from its 2022 rating.

https://news.fit.edu/campus/florida-tech-named-2024-green-college-by-princeton-review/

Don't know what to do with your pile of textbooks? Here are two ideas:

1) Florida Institute of Technology Bookstore is collecting used, non-rental textbooks to donate to Better World Books. Better World Books describes itself as "a for-profit, socially conscious business and a global online bookseller that collects and sells new and used books online." They raise funds for literacy initiatives, donate a book for every book sold, and recycle or repurpose books that can't be sold. (True story- I bought used textbooks from BWB for $4 and $9. Never know what you'll find!)

2) Evans Library will accept used textbooks that students can borrow for FREE. Drop them off at the iDesk.

WHEN IN DOUBT, THROW IT OUT. Even ONE item considered a contaminant (something that is not recyclable per Waste Management, our contractor) can cause the entire load to go to the landfill. There are items outside of those listed (paper, cardboard, plastic containers, metal cans) that can be recycled but only via alternate methods.

Learn more at the link in our bio, or following https://www.fit.edu/facilities/sustainability/recycling/how-to-recycle-at-florida-tech/

Imagine the fate of your species resting on every adult coming together to mate one day of the year... actually, don't 🙈. Imagine the fate of your species resting on what ANOTHER SPECIES does that day. That's the reality for both humans and many commercial species of fish.

3.3 billion people- almost half of the world's population- rely on fish for protein. Unfortunately, overharvesting is one of the main drivers of fish population decline.

Cue the Big Fish Initiative, a campaign to protect critical spawning sites across the Caribbean. Check out their hub for videos, infographics, and more: https://bigfishinitiative.com/ (Link in bio!)

Part of an ongoing series about Florida Tech's research with the Big Fish Initiative.