The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, is celebrating Make Orange Green with a kickoff event at Presidential Court on Thursday, September 22 from 4:30 to 7:00 p.m. The event will offer students, faculty, and staff a look at what the campus and local organizations are doing to save energy, reduce waste, and promote environmental leadership.
Speakers at the celebration will include Chancellor Jimmy G. Cheek; Kimberly Greene, group president of strategy and external relations for the Tennessee Valley Authority; Ross Rowland, UT Knoxville’s student body president; and Gordie Bennett, the campus’ sustainability manager.
Event guests can participate in a variety of sustainability-focused activities, including using their own pedal power to crank out blended ice cream scoops, compliments of local business Cruze Dairy Farm. Auto manufacturers Chevrolet, Nissan, and Mitsubishi will also be on hand to showcase their latest zero-emission vehicles.
UT Knoxville’s Make Orange Green program has been recognized by the Princeton Review and by the Sustainable Endowments Institute as one of the nation’s top campus sustainability programs. Other campus initiatives, such as the sustainable building policy, the Student Environmental Initiatives Fee, and the Chancellor’s Energy Challenge have earned the university a reputation as a national leader in campus sustainability.
UT Knoxville, TVA, and Knoxville Utilities Board have been working together to drastically enhance the campus’ energy efficiency. TVA’s EnergyRight Solutions for Business program is working with the university to create a ten-year strategic energy roadmap, setting targets for electricity demand reduction and annual energy savings.
The Make Orange Green kickoff event is being organized by the UT Office of Sustainability. For more information on the kickoff event, visit the Make Orange Green Facebook page.