TAMIU Launches Earth Week Celebration April 22-27

Maroon is the new green at Texas A&M International University (TAMIU) April 22-27as TAMIU celebrates Earth Week.

TAMIU Earth Week will include a RIO runway featuring Recycled Items Only, a pond clean-up, a recycling extravaganza and water conservation event, a Green Pledges activity, Community Garden beautification, and recycled park bench dedication.

TAMIU president Dr. Pablo Arenaz said sustainability is an important lesson for everyone, and  said TAMIU’s Earth Week will help students learn how they can make a difference.

“This week-long observance is a fun way to help students learn that sustainability is a virtue, and can make  a difference in their lives now and in the future. For example, here at TAMIU, we’ve been able to leverage our energy budget to fund much-needed energy and infrastructure upgrades designed to save money and improve our students’ learning environment,” Dr. Arenaz said.

Trevor Liddle, TAMIU associate VP of Administration, concurred, noting some of the University’s sustainability commitments.

“We’ve expanded our existing electric and chilled water metering system, undertaken interior and exterior LED retrofits campus-wide, extended our chilled water piping, upgraded HVAC equipment at our Resident Learning Center and addressed water conservation through optimizing domestic water fixtures and installing an irrigation well,” Liddle said.

He noted the University has additional sustainability features planned in the near future.

“We’ll be Implementing a dynamic Conserve My Planet student engagement program 
in March 2019, which we believe will generate over $14 million in guaranteed savings over the life of the project.  It’s also expected to reduce energy consumption by 4,080,836 kWh per year --  the equivalent to removing 1,500,643 pounds of greenhouse gases from the atmosphere,” Liddle concluded.


For Earth Week’s final event, on Friday, April 27, Dr. Arenaz will join TAMIU students in the dedication of two new park benches made of 100% recycled materials and engraved with “Maroon is the New Green.”

Earth Week 2018 is coordinated by the University’s Environmental, Health and Safety Office, Housing and Residence Life and the office of the Vice President for Finance and Administration, in partnership with Schneider Electric, a global specialist in energy management.

Student involvement in the project is being shared on the University’s social media channels on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube and with the hashtag #MaroonisTheNewGreen.

For additional information, please contact the University’s Office of Public Relations, Marketing and information Services at 956.326.2180, email prmis@tamiu.edu, click on tamiu.edu or visit offices in the Sue and Radcliffe Killam Library, suite 268.