The latest environmentally friendly initiative was the first Spring Greening Day on April 30, organized by Campus Life, Facility Services, Landscape Services, Student Government and the Student Activities Board in support of the Green Tiger Project.More than 200 student volunteers from 23 organizations planted 14,400 flowers, 3,600 pots of groundcover and 200 camellia shrubs in 30 locations on campus. They put down 2,700 square feet of sod and completed 100 cubic yards of mulch work.The volunteers helped Landscape Services accomplish projects in one day that would’ve taken several weeks, said Ryann Denham, Campus Life practicum student, in a May 2 article in The Daily Reveille.The Green Tiger Project is a collaborative force led by Jan Martin, Chancellor Michael Martin’s wife, and the LSU Foundation to coordinate and support campus beautification efforts at the University.”I’m happy to support the Green Tiger Project because it’s really important,” Jan Martin said. “We have one of the most beautiful campuses in the country, and we can only make it better.”Other sustainability events this year included the second annual UNPLUG competition sponsored by the College of Engineering. This year, 19 on-campus dorms and apartments competed to reduce energy use. By unplugging unused electronics, turning laptops on sleep mode and taking shorter showers, ResLife saved more than $10,000 in energy consumption. West Campus Apartments won the competition by reducing its energy usage by 26 percent.The 2009 competition saved money, but students conserved more kilowatt hours this year than last year, said Matt Wyatt, co-president of the Environmental Conservation Organization, in a March 28 article in The Daily Reveille. Denise Scribner, campus sustainability manager, said this year’s UNPLUG competition had more participation than last year and included several Greek organizations.In addition to saving energy, University students participated in several recycling efforts.ECO partnered with SG to host the annual Bike Auction, where abandoned bikes collected by the Office of Parking, Traffic and Transportation were auctioned off to the highest-bidding students. This year’s bike auction raised $4,050.Recycling efforts reached Tiger fans in Death Valley this past season as well.Recycling bins were introduced to Tiger Stadium just in time for the massive crowd at the Florida game Oct. 10. Until last football season, Tiger Stadium was the only football stadium in the Southeastern Conference that didn’t have a gameday recycling program.”We increased recycling on gamedays by 77 percent,” Scribner said.Andres Harris, solid waste and recycling manager, said 48.3 tons of material from the stadium and campus were recycled during the season.Harris said the next step in stadium recycling is to introduce the blue recycling bins on the suite levels.According to the LSU Recycles Facebook page, 208.4 tons of material were recycled in April. The University recycled 1,311.8 tons of cardboard, mixed paper, aluminum cans and plastic bottles in 2009.Scribner said sustainability education is especially important among University students.”We’re training students who will become the leaders in the future,” she said. “We’re trying to make an impact on campus and in the surrounding areas and to conserve our precious resources.”—-Contact Mary Walker Baus at [email protected]