<p>Issuing an annual "report card" on the University of Florida's sustainability campaign, UF President Bernie Machen applauded campus energy saving efforts but said the university now faces some hard choices. </p>
<p>Machen said UF has dealt with the "low-hanging fruit" to be environmentally friendly, increasing recycling efforts on campus and powering more of its fleet with alternative fuels. To continue making progress, however, will require the university community to trade some creature comforts in the name of saving the planet.</p>
<p>"How sustainable, really, do we want this university to become? We need to think this through carefully," Machen told a crowd of about 100 people. "What changes are we willing to accept with regard to cars, scooters or buses on campus?"</p>
<p>Machen, along with his wife, Chris, have made sustainability one of the hallmarks of his presidency. The word "sustainability" has a broad definition, but essentially suggests that socially and environmentally responsible practices should be adopted to preserve nonrenewable resources and improve people's lives.</p>
<p>While Machen was realistic about the hard choices ahead, he applauded what UF has already done. Last year, Machen was among the first university presidents to pledge a goal of becoming a carbon neutral campus. To that end, UF has built and renovated more energy efficient buildings and reduced the university's carbon footprint, he said.</p>
<p>"By building or renovating green, we estimate we have so far avoided emissions of nearly 4.5 million pounds of carbon dioxide, equivalent to taking 326 cars off the road or planting 353 acres of mature trees," he said.</p>
<p>Carbon emissions contribute to global warming, and UF has added several alternative fuel vehicles to its fleet in order to cut down on those emissions. Today, UF has nine electric vehicles, 18 hybrids and 83 flex-fuel vehicles, which run on gasoline or ethanol blends. With a total fleet of 2,200 vehicles, however, Machen conceded there's still a long way to go before UF can truly make a difference in this arena.</p>
<p>In a report issued Wednesday by the Sustainable Endowments Institute, a Cambridge, Mass.-based nonprofit group, UF was applauded for its transportation system. In his speech, Machen said bus ridership is now up to 9 million rides a year and the university recently set a record of 58,000 rides on a single day.</p>
<p>UF is also making changes to the campus grounds as part of the sustainability effort, making fresh fruit available to students as they walk to and from class. UF has planted 80 new fruit trees on campus, and in a few months tangerines and other citrus will be ripe for the plucking.</p>
<p>"We must maintain that tradition with regard to sustainability, so essential to our own health and the health of the planet," Machen said in closing. "In the long run, it may turn out that our greatest impact may not be what we do here on campus, but rather what we inspire in the world."</p>