Florida Tech Sustainability

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.

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.

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