An editorial entitled "Creative Destruction" (Jan. 26) raised a lot of questions about the progress of the Unity Project. As co-chairs for the Unity Project, we would like to take this opportunity to share our excitement for this year's main Unity initiative, UVA Earth Week 2010.
The Unity Project began this past fall without a concrete goal, without benchmarks, and with little structure. In realizing the challenge before us, as a team, the Unity Representatives unanimously decided that we should focus our efforts on producing and promoting a University-wide Earth Week (April 17th-22nd). We concluded that in order to accomplish our goals of bringing students together around sustainability, highlighting existing initiatives around the University, and educating and raising awareness about sustainability, we needed to further focus our resources.
Thus far, we have collaborated with a wide variety of students, administrators, and faculty to discuss ideas and narrow down our plans for UVA Earth Week 2010. Over winter break we visited the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill to meet with their past and present organizers of Earth Week, and they helped us to restructure the week from a Global-Local theme to one where individual days have a theme to help organize the week.
In addition, the Unity Project has set three major benchmarks for the semester: We will have people sign up for committees at our interest meeting Feb. 10, have our events for Earth Week finalized by March 10, and begin our major publicity efforts for the week on April 10.
On Jan. 21, the Unity Project held a successful Unity Leaders meeting with about 15 or so representatives (students, faculty, and administrators) who are either leading an event for Earth Week or who just came to advise us on how we can reach a wider population of the student body. Here's some feedback from after the meeting: "I'm excited in general for the potential of Earth Week to reach a large portion of the student body. A lot of the events planned so far sound exciting and memorable. I think I will be able to spread the word to diverse groups of people due to my involvement in other activities, so hopefully that will help make Earth Week really make a lasting impact on people's behavior and interest in the environment."
"We are excited to be working with you because we have been doing pretty much the same thing for Earth Day the past few years and really wanted to revamp our event and this is a great way to do something new and different."
"A mix of events (arts, religion, outdoors, etc) that will appeal to the widest range of U.Va. students, so basically opportunities for engagement at every level, whether it is a Zip Car demonstration, farmers' market, or lecture. I think that all of the events planned thus far are shaping Earth Week into a diverse production."
We encourage everyone to keep their eyes open for opportunities to get involved with UVA Earth Week 2010. Our information session is Wednesday, Feb. 10 at 5:00 p.m. in the South Meeting Room in Newcomb Hall. If you can't make the meeting, then check our blog at http://earthweekuva.wordpress.com for updates and opportunities to get involved with the various events we are coordinating throughout the week.
Sheffield Hale and Garrett Trent are Co-Chairs of the University Unity Project.
Read More
CARTER: U.Va. Health owes clarity to transplant patients
By Nathaniel Carter | 7 hours agoUnfortunately, this negative press is fully the fault of U.Va. Health — it failed to address significant stakeholder concerns when crafting its justification.
EDITORIAL: Upholding medical amnesty is a collective effort
By Editorial Board | 23 hours agoUniversity leadership, Greek life organizations and students themselves must recommit to the safety provided by an effective and knowledgeable use of medical amnesty.
KURTZWEIL: Dockworkers’ unions cannot avoid the threat of automation
By Paul Kurtzweil | 2 days agoInstead of continuing to demand decreased automation, the union should work with the legislature in the hopes of driving investment into the reorganization of the current workforce.
