Planting an oak tree on the Long Campus are (left to right) Dr. Omid Rahimi, Martin Hechanova, Neal Jackson, Kyle Kalkwarf, Katie Wiggins-Dohlvic, Chris Gibson, Jim Kazen, Barney Lynch and Mike Black.
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Faculty, staff and students from The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio showed their commitment to a sustainable future on Earth Day, April 22, by planting trees at the Joe. R. and Teresa Lozano Long Campus in San Antonio and the Regional Academic Health Center campus in Harlingen.

“GoGreen” backpacks were handed out to commemorate the occasion and participants were invited to take the “Go Green Pledge” on the university’s new GoGreen.uthscsa.edu Web site unveiled at the ceremony.

Oak tree planted on Long Campus
One of 11 oak trees saved from the construction site of the South Texas Research Facility was planted near the double helix sculpture at the corner of Medical and Floyd Curl drives. The other 10 trees will be replanted elsewhere on the main campus.

Related story: Recycling Facts

HSC using fuel-efficient vehicles on campus
Jim Kazen, executive vice president for facility planning and administration, showed off some of the university’s new fuel-efficient vehicles, including a hybrid car driven on trips between the six campuses in South Texas, electric carts used by Facilities Management maintenance and landscaping crews, and the new T3 personal mobility vehicles the UT Police Department is using for campus patrols. The three-wheeled, battery-powered vehicles cost about 10 cents day to operate, Kazen said.

Leonel Vela, M.D., M.P.H., regional dean of the Regional Academic Health Center in Harlingen, plants the citrus tree.

Harlingen RAHC plants a citrus tree on campus
Earlier in the day faculty, staff and students at the Regional Academic Health Center in Harlingen planted a citrus tree donated by medical student Charles Plumee near the entrance to the building. A plaque from the Harlingen Chamber of Commerce recognizing the campus’ recycling efforts was presented, and “go green” bags were awarded throughout the day as door prizes to those who attended the ceremony.

Students bring more focus to green initiative
In San Antonio, Michael Black, M.B.A., senior executive vice president and chief operating officer, complimented a group of medical students, including Master of Ceremonies Chris Gibson, for urging the Health Science Center to adopt more visible energy conservation and sustainability efforts. “We now have a Green Initiative Task Force made up of faculty, staff, students and outside experts,” Black said. “There’s an Energy Conservation Subcommittee investigating ways we can save energy on a larger scale, and the students have formed a Student Sustainability Club. None of this would have happened without the students wanting to do the right thing.”

Gibson and fellow medical students Kyle Kalkwarf and Bernard Lynch conducted a survey in fall 2007 to gauge the campus’ interest in energy efficiency and renewable resources. The results showed strong support for instituting more energy-efficient initiatives. The Student Government Association endorsed a request that the administration appoint a committee to investigate ways to improve efficiency and institute other “green” initiatives on campus. The Green Initiative Task Force was initiated in fall 2008.

HSC’s green efforts can make lives better
In his remarks at the Earth Day celebration, Gibson noted that the Health Science Center has a more important reason for “going green” than the average school or business. “From asthma to stroke, research is making it clear that the health of our environment is intricately entwined with public health. Within the Health Science Center community, it’s about more than the health of our planet and saving money. It’s about improving human health,” he said, to make lives better.

Solar panels to be installed on South Texas Research Facility roof
Among the newest campus initiatives are a rejuvenated recycling program for paper, plastic bottles and aluminum cans; energy efficient designs incorporated into the Medical Arts and Research Center; and adopting many U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED requirements as best practices in constructing the South Texas Research Facility (STRF). In fact, Black said, the university is now working with CPS to install solar panels on the STRF’s roof.

Health Science Center has won numerous environmental awards
Although not as visible, the Health Science Center has practiced good environmental health behind the scenes for a number of years, winning national, state and local awards. The Health Science Center was the first academic institution in the United States to install a mercury amalgam removal system that retrieves mercury from dental fillings. The Health Science Center has received the Practice Greenhealth Environmental Leadership Circle award, the premier award for environmental excellence presented by Practice Greenhealth, the leading national organization for the health sector.

The Health Science Center saves millions of gallons of water each year by using recycled water, has installed more efficient boilers in the central energy plant, recycles office equipment and scrap materials, uses environmentally friendly cleaning products and employs xeriscaping in its landscape.