By Matthew Schwartz The University of Memphis hosted its annual Tiger Blue Goes Green Day on Tuesday, Oct. 8, on the Alumni Mall Plaza. This event was designed to raise environmental awareness, answer any concerns on green initiatives and promote ways to save energy. “This event is very important for students to learn about all the green opportunities in Memphis,” said Nancy Ream, President of the Greater Memphis Green Line. She said that bike commuting in the University District has increased by 400 percent over the last year. |
Some of these groups included Memphis Botanic Gardens, Clean Memphis and the Sierra Club.
“This is a good way to get campus informed about going green and environmental stability,” said Jonathan Mask, a senior economics major.
Another group in attendance was the Memphis River Warriors, which is dedicated to picking up trash in the Mississippi River.
“Nice turnout," said Cheyenne Medlock, a senior exercise and sports science major. "Nice weather. Nice to have an event like this on campus.”
Medlock, the leader of the River Warriors, welcomed and encouraged students to volunteer.
This group has collected over 45,000 pounds of trash out of the Mississippi River. They pick up trash about once a month and have had over 1,500 volunteers help with clean up over the past year.
The event was open to all students and faculty and even U-District residents.
Over the course of the four-hour event, a few hundred visitors came and went, learning new ways to become involved in improving the environment in their community.
The university continues its efforts in making the campus and the district an easier place for people to live and enjoy.