UNT’s Office of Sustainability joined with the North Texas Energy and Environment Club, the UNT campus and the Denton community to host UNT’s Earth Week in celebration of the 40th anniversary of Earth Day in April. Events included a green products and sustainability fair, a nature photography workshop, a campus clean-up day and a moonlight tree planting. The Distinguished Lecture Series hosted Eric Schlosser, author of the bestselling book Fast Food Nation and co-producer of the documentary Food Inc.
The university-wide public awareness campaign promotes sustainability and aims to generate a sense of responsibility and excitement about reducing, reusing and recycling. In 2008, UNT became the first large public university in Texas to join the American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment.
Also during Earth Week, students voted to pass a green fee, an initiative for the Texas Green Fund Campaign, a statewide effort to encourage college campuses to go green. Implemented in spring 2011, students will pay a green fee of $5 each fall and spring semester, which would add up to about $360,000 a year for environmental improvements and sustainability projects at UNT.