Athens, Ga. – This year, G-Day attendees have more than the football game to look forward to.
The University of Georgia Office of Sustainability and the recreation and leisure studies program in the department of counseling and human development services will host “G-Day the Green Way,” an event aimed at teaching game day-goers how to tailgate sustainably. The event will be held April 14 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the Tate lawn.
“G-Day the Green Way” will feature two tailgate tents. One will be stocked with disposable tailgating products such as Styrofoam plates, cups and coolers and plastic forks and knives, while the other will be furnished with sustainable options such as enamelware plates, silverware and a solar-powered iPod deck. Signs set up around the site will explain the differences between the items in the two tents and the importance of reducing game day waste.
“This event will showcase how easy it is to make your tailgate sustainable rather than wasteful,” said Andrew Lentini, sustainability coordinator for the Office of Sustainability. “The thought is that by showing people that cool stuff exists and is not hard to find, they will create less waste at the tailgate while at the same time having an awesome game day experience.”
The event is part of a class project that UGA students in the advanced program and event management class in the recreation and leisure studies department developed. The class was divided into groups; each group planned its own campus event, giving students real-life experience as event coordinators and managers.
“G-Day the Green Way” will also include KidFest from 9-11 a.m., an event hosted by students taking a course on ideas of community and place in the UGA College of Environment and Design. KidFest will be held at the Tanyard Creek prescribed grazing area on the corner of Baxter and South Hull streets, where eight goats are being housed as part of an invasive plant removal project funded by a 2012 sustainability grant. It is aimed at teaching young G-Day-goers about the goats and their importance on campus. Kids will get the chance to play games such as “Pin the Tail on the Goat,” create goat masks and puppets, pet and feed the goats and sample goat cheese and milk from local creameries.
Eric MacDonald, who is teaching the ideas of community class, said having KidFest on G-Day is a great opportunity to teach visitors, university members and especially children about the restoration project. “We’re expecting lots of alumni and football-goers on campus that day to be passing by the site, since it’s not too far from the stadium and places where people tailgate.”
For more information about KidFest, see www.kidfestuga.com. To learn more about events and initiatives from the Office of Sustainability, see www.sustainability.uga.edu.
