Greeks Go Green Week"" kicked off this week with a community block party aiming to generate campus awareness and action on behalf of the Green Coalition.
The awareness program begins its first semester paired with Greeks on campus with specific goals for the Greek community. Its aims are to lower energy use and decrease pollution.
By replacing standard light bulbs with energy-efficient compact fluorescent bulbs in each Greek residence, the Go Green coordinators hope to reduce habits that contribute to pollution.
The Green Coalition hopes to set a positive example for the UW-Madison student body by starting with the Greek community.
""We are raising awareness and changing the lifestyles of the Greeks on campus in hopes of becoming models for other students on campus,"" Kappa Kappa Gamma Sorority and Panhellenic member Emily Moyer said.
Wednesday's community block party began the promotion for the Go Green initiative to introduce students to the idea of pursuing an environmentally friendly college lifestyle.
The events continue Thursday with a casino night at Library Mall. By donating money, attendees can receive casino chips to play games throughout the night.
Students can volunteer Friday with the Campus Clean-Up from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday with the Community Plunge from 8 a.m to 12 p.m. by meeting other volunteers at the Red Gym. Monday concludes ""Greeks Go Green Week"" with a closing ceremony at Wisconsin Union Theater.
According to Sam Lake, public relations vice president for Greeks Go Green, there are several programs throughout the nation that are successfully participating in similar activities.
The coordinators of ""Greeks Go Green Week"" are hopeful about the outcome.
""We've been working closely with Rethink Wisconsin and their goal of transforming the entire campus to start recycling more actively,"" Lake said. ""We were looking for ways to improve the Greek system - not just maintain it.""
