Sustainability at The Unions

current efforts ...

Social Justice Initiatives

1. Social Justice Programs form a large portion of the Center for Student Involvement & Leadership (CSIL). We work to honor different heritage months and identities. One of our most recent initiatives was the mock-border spanning the UA Mall sparking countless conversations and dialogue across campus.

2. The senior coordinator for Social Justice in CSIL advises both Pride Alliance and the Women's Resource Center, helping them to create successful initiatives.

3. The Women's Resource Center invites the Tucson community to their film series at Gallagher Theater on the first and third Wednesday of the month, addressing issues facing today's women. All of these movies and their discussions are free and open to the public.

4. In partnership with CSIL's Social Justice Programs, the ATLAS Social Justice Leadership certificate is designed to give participants an opportunity to learn about power, privilege, and systems of oppression as well as tools to fight social injustice. Participants attend workshops and earn a certification in social justice leadership. These workshops are free and open to the public.

5. The Arizona Blue Chip Program has a four-year Service leadership track in which students are exposed to learn about the nonprofit sector and how to create change through service initiatives including activism, direct service, or lifestyle change.

6. The Arizona Blue Chip Program has a four-year Global leadership track in which students are exposed to issues of social justice, privilege, and oppression, learning to work within a global framework to create change.

Economic Justice Initiatives

1. Every Wednesday, economic barriers don't separate who is "eating out" and who isn't on the UA campus. The Savvy Student program enables students who may not be able to afford eating out very often an opportunity to come to the Unions' eateries all across campus and eat with their friends.

2. The Arizona Blue Chip Program has a four-year Service leadership track in which students are exposed to learn about the nonprofit sector and how to create change through service initiatives including activism, direct service, or lifestyle change.

Environmental Justice (Green) initiatives

1. The Unions are recycling the fryer oil used in restaurant cooking. It is being refined and used to power tractors and other farm equipment at the UA Arizona Agricultural Experiment Stations.

2. We currently recycle cardboard, number 10 tin cans, plastic bottles, aluminum, white paper, and newsprint. Behind the scenes, the Unions staff are recycling almost as much �OCC� corrugated cardboard as the rest of our recycled items combined. Click here to see how to participate

3. Since 2005, there has been a marked decrease in Unions waste as well as an increase in recycling.

4. Class notes sold in the UA BookStore now have a "This is recyclable" message. Students have returned about 50 a semester.

5. The new Student Union Memorial Center uses more efficient dual glass pane windows, has decreased lighting needs, improved air quality, and more efficient HVAC and support systems.

6. Fast Copy has begun collecting Hewlett-Packard (HP) printer cartridges to be recycled in bulk, reducing the carbon it takes to make multiple truck deliveries for single cartridges.

7. Fast Copy uses paper only from SFI (Sustainable Forest Initiative) qualified companies, and is working to use papers with high recycled content whenever possible.

8. Redington catering in the skyboxes and the stadium club are now using fully compostable plates.

9. The Cellar Bistro serves environmentally-friendly pond raised shrimp from Desert Sweet Shrimp, near Gila Bend. This Unions' restaurant also serves free-range, grass fed, no hormone natural beef from the San Rafael Valley, here in Arizona.

10. The Unions are working with Residence Life to find "green" cleaning products that will hold up to our heavy-duty cleaning needs. We have eliminated all of the harsh chemicals from the cleaning products, and we use foam soap decreasing hand soap usage in all our bathrooms.

11. The Arizona Blue Chip Program has a four-year Ecology leadership track in which students develop an understanding of socially responsible leadership in maintaining the synchronicity of humanity and nature.

12. All the Unions' convenience stores (Umart, Highland, Park Ave, Bookend) carry UA recycler mugs. If you purchase a refill of coffee or soda in these containers, you receive a significant discount.


planned efforts ...

1. We are piloting automated light systems in some of our storage and non-customer spaces. After the results are gathered, we hope to expand to more parts of the Unions.

2. The Unions are testing waterless urinals. After the results are gathered, we hope to expand usage. "Conventional urinals use at least three liters of water per flush (about a gallon), whereas flushless urinals need neither water nor a flushing system, and improve hygiene." [Aster, Kropfl and Zender]

past efforts ...

1. CSIL worked with funding from the Home Depot to showcase a Sustainability Film Series at Gallagher Theater, the first and third Mondays of the month in the fall 2008 semester. All of these movies and their discussions were free and open to the public.

2.Also in the fall 2008 semester, Gallagher Theater hosted a free Social Justice Film Series, focused on economic justice.

find out more