Sustainability Events to Discuss Curriculum, Transportation

OMAHA – A faculty work session on sustainably-focused academics and research and a brown bag session on the future of sustainabile mobility options on the UNO campus will take place this week.

The academics and research faculty session will take place Friday, March 13, in the Barbara Weitz Community Engagement Center (CEC), Room 116, from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m.

The brown bag on mobility will also take in the CEC, on Wednesday, March 11, from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The session was initially scheduled for March 4, but was moved due to a scheduling conflict.

The purpose of each session is to expand upon the Sustainability Master Plan, which was released in November 2014 by the UNO Sustainability Committee.

The plan, which was facilitated by the Verdis Group and led by representatives from across campus as well as the Omaha community, identifies new policies and practices that can be implemented by UNO that are environmentally friendly, socially responsible, financially feasible and will benefit the campus now and into the future.

Academics and Research, March 13

Compared to other sections of the plan already discussed via earlier brown bags, the academic section of the Sustainability Master Plan is purposefully short and less developed, reflecting the thought that this effort is primarily the faculty’s purview.

For faculty who want to help shape future curriculum options and discuss research opportunities at UNO, members of the Sustainability Committee would greatly appreciate campus participation in an initial brainstorming session focused on ways to foster sustainability related academic activity.

The brown bag will use a web-based version of Think Tank, software designed to facilitate meetings, so those attending are asked to bring a fully-charged laptop, tablet or mobile device.

The goal of the meeting is a document that can both serve as an addendum to the Master Plan expanding on the academic section and that can help focus the mission of the UNO Center for Urban Sustainability relative to campus-wide sustainability research and curriculum support.

Follow up sessions are also being planned for those interested in helping to craft this document. Please feel free to recruit other faculty that may be interested in participating.

The Academics and Research section of the Sustainability Master Plan can be found on pages 102-108.

Those with questions about the session should not hesitate to contact Steve Rodie, at srodie@unomaha.edu; Jonna Holland, at jholland@unomaha.edu; or Harmon Maher, at harmon_maher@unomaha.edu.

Campus Mobility, March 11

Within the past five years, UNO has made significant changes in its efforts to make campus not only easier to navigate, but easier to get to as well. As one of the areas of sustainability with the most direct impact, the future of mobility and transportation on campus needs your voice!

Where We’ve Been

- MavRide, a student-based transit pass program with Omaha’s Metro Area Transit, was introduced in 2011 and, in 2014, expanded to include faculty and staff.

- In 2012, UNO expanded bicycle parking on campus, introduced new bike fix-it stations, and added two B-Cycle bike-sharing stations.

- In 2013, UNO partnered with ZipCar, a car-sharing program, and in 2014 began piloting the ZimRide ride-sharing program, to allow students, faculty and staff more flexibility in getting to and from campus with the added benefit of getting more cars off the road and cutting emissions.

- Over the past several decades, UNO has increased its shuttle services to provide transportation from Pacific Campus to Dodge Campus and from Dodge Campus to the Crossroads Mall parking garage, which students, faculty, staff and visitors can use at no charge.

Where We’re Going

- There is a desire to create a stronger communication and engagement strategy to share information and opportunities about ways to be environmentally friendly when choosing how you get to campus.

- Possible changes to the fuels used in campus shuttles to help improve campus air quality

- Plans may also include adding sustainability goals into the planning and strategy of how classes are scheduled in order to alleviate parking congestion and energy use.

- Additional bike and pedestrian infrastructure to increase safety and ease of travel.

- The possibility of incentives for biking or walking to campus.

More ideas explored on this topic can be viewed in the Sustainability Master Plan, which is available online. The section devoted to Campus Planning and Mobility covers pages 33 through 50.

If there are any questions, please contact Jonna Holland at jholland@unomaha.edu.

Upcoming Forums
- March 18 – Energy, Buildings and Emissions
Weitz CEC Room 116, 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m

About the University of Nebraska at Omaha

Located in one of America’s best cities to live, work and learn, the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) is Nebraska’s premier metropolitan university. With more than 15,000 students enrolled in 200-plus programs of study, UNO is recognized nationally for its online education, graduate education, military friendliness and community engagement efforts. Founded in 1908, UNO has served learners of all backgrounds for more than 100 years and is dedicated to another century of excellence both in the classroom and in the community.

Become a fan of UNO on Facebook: www.facebook.com/unomaha and follow UNO's Twitter updates at http://twitter.com/unomaha.