Although UGA’s colors are red and black, Kimberly Thomas wants green to be important to the university.
As head of the university’s “Go Green” campaign, Thomas, who earned two degrees from UGA, wants the university to use safer cleaning products and minimize waste.
As the Physical Plant’s new assistant director for services, Thomas is helping to bring attention to the Physical Plant’s environmental sustainability initiative.
Directing the university’s recycling campaign is one of Thomas’ responsibilities.
“UGA is a tremendous waste producer,” she said. “Our support services office is focusing on using more education and training to try to lessen our environmental impact.”
UGA currently recycles 2,283 tons of material, with office paper being recycled the most (about 795 tons) and books the least (.01 tons). To encourage more recycling, blue recycling containers will be distributed to campus offices. They will be accompanied by a smaller, 7-quart saddlebag for trash only. Some containers already have been added to buildings on North Campus, including Terrell Hall, Old College, Meigs Hall, Phi Kappa Hall and the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication.
The support services office is also working closely with an undergraduate public relations class to evaluate recycling education campaigns.
The university also is participating in the Recycle Mania collegiate recycling competition for the first time. Recycle Mania, a nationwide event that began Jan. 27, measures the amount of materials that participating colleges recycle and the amount of waste they reduce over a 10-week period.
Thomas also is coordinating efforts to create “Green Corridors” that make campus buildings healthier by having custodial staff use safer cleaning chemicals and cleaning practices.
Last summer, the services department began a pilot project to have custodial staff use chemicals like Clean by Peroxy 15, which reduces the dust and volatile organic compounds, in buildings to protect against repeated exposure to harsh compounds. “Green Corridors” will be expanded into more buildings throughout campus over the next few years.
These greener chemicals do not include any harmful bleaches, alcohols or ammonia and are also biodegradable, non-combustible and non-threatening to the building environment. “It’s a really fresh smell, that doesn’t have chemical fragrances, like you’re outside,” said Thomas.
Cleaning campus buildings isn’t a one-size-fits-all task, according to Thomas.
“People understand that, at some point, a building needs to get cleaned,” she said. “But how the buildings are cleaned is something that many people may not grasp.
Special attention must be given to everything, from the types of chemicals used to the specialized cleaning plans for each building. For instance, the way the more modern Student Learning Center is cleaned differs greatly from the way Old College, one of UGA’s oldest buildings, is maintained.
“We have a lot of old buildings on campus, and so we have to pay special attention to what we use to keep up their appearance,” she also said.
Before coming to the Physical Plant seven months ago, Thomas worked for more than 10 years in the UGA Police Department. She also worked in Student Affairs as the student organizational adviser and then as the program coordinator for the African-American Cultural Center.
While she already has implemented numerous programs to make the university more environmentally friendly, Thomas said the most important aspect of her job remains ensuring that her co-workers are motivated and appreciated.
“It can be a difficult job,” Thomas said. “But to provide great customer service, the staff should feel that their contributions, ideas and efforts are important and valued, too.”