The 哔咔漫画鈥檚 at the USF Botanical Gardens brought together eco-conscious organizations from across campus and Tampa Bay to highlight ways to become more environmentally responsible.
City of Tampa representatives shared information about what items are accepted for recycling. They also shared information about their app, 鈥淭ampa Trash and Recycling鈥� that provides information about schedules and a waste disposal guide. (Photo by Anna Mayor)
鈥淓arth Day is a day you should think about what your impact is on the environment,鈥� said USF Geology Club President Charlie Smith, who is majoring in geology. He represented the student organization at the 2nd Sustain-A-Bull Symposium. (Photo by Anna Mayor)
The USF Botanical Gardens, which is part of the USF College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) Environmental and Conservation Outreach, Research, and Education System (ECORE), consists of 16 acres of gardens and greenbelt on the Tampa campus and maintains a living collection of more than 3,000 plants in managed and natural settings.
The four-hour symposium was held on April 21 to commemorate Earth Day. It was hosted by the USF Botanical Gardens and the student organization (GLOBE).
It included an outdoor tabling expo with USF organizations and community organizations, such as the , , and the , among many others.
Every hour, a highlighted speaker spoke to attendees about their services and shared ways their organization assists in becoming more eco-friendly.
One such eco-conscious organization in attendance was , founded by USF CAS alumna Laura Starkey, who earned her master鈥檚 degree in applied linguistics and who also serves as the organization鈥檚 executive director.
CAS alumna Laura Starkey shared information about Heartwood Preserve and ways to protect the natural environment through green burials. (Photo by Anna Mayor)
The Tampa Bay Association of Environmental Professionals Student Chapter showing their USF Bulls pride during the 2nd Sustain-A-Bull Symposium. (Photo by Dakota Galvin)
Heartwood Preserve is a natural cemetery within a 41-acre conservation sanctuary located in the New Port Richey, Fla., that aims to protect longleaf pine trees. Heartwood Preserve provides for green burials鈥攚hich are completed using a biodegradable shroud or casket (such as those made of pine).
鈥淲hen you look at cemeteries today, you see big head stones, big permanent markers, plastic flower arrangements, lawns, but you don鈥檛 see these [longleaf pine] woods. We are giving people an opportunity to protect these woods. When you decide to be buried at a place like Heartwood, you are deciding that everything going to into the ground is going to be something that goes back to the Earth,鈥� Starkey said.
Following burials, families are given native Florida wildflower seed and pine needles to sprinkle over the tops of the grave sites. Starkey also said burial fees also include the conservation efforts needed to maintain the land in the future.
鈥淚t is a way to protect the land from development and maintain the natural ecosystems,鈥� she said. 鈥淭his is a way to pay for land conservation, but it also is way for people to engage with the land, to learn about it and the importance of the natural environment by making their final decision to be buried here in this way.鈥�
Angelika Kirkham, program assistant the Botanical Gardens and current CAS environmental science and policy student, joined the team three years ago.
Nature鈥檚 Classroom, a Hillsborough County Public Schools outdoor environmental education center, shared information on upcoming summer camps provided to students in the county. (Photo by Anna Mayor)
The non-profit Tampa Bay Watch Discovery Center shared information on how they aim to lead habitat restoration and protect Tampa Bay鈥檚 watershed through community-driven restoration project and educational outreach. (Photo by Anna Mayor)
鈥淲e鈥檙e trying to share more environmental initiatives that students can participate in on campus and in Tampa Bay,鈥� she said. 鈥淸This event] is about giving those initiatives that outreach opportunity. Earth Day was the start of the environmental movement, during a time with a lot of pollution and lack of awareness, so it鈥檚 about getting involved and being aware of how the destruction of the Earth affects us all.鈥�
Craig Huegel, director, said the USF Botanical Gardens plays an important educational role and commemorating Earth Day with this symposium was key in doing just that.
鈥淲e have been busy trying to increase our ability to both educate and provide a real value to the university itself, including students and faculty, and to the community. This kind of event fits in with that well, as a botanical garden with conservation role, we will hopefully do this year after year.鈥�
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