March 2025

Each month, the Office of Sustainability will feature University of Florida community members who make a sustainable impact daily. Keep reading to meet our featured student for March!

Meet Kathryn Davis

Kathryn Davis is a UF senior majoring in Business Management. She is also minoring in Entrepreneurship and pursuing a certificate in AI Fundamentals & Applications. 

Kathryn is from Arlington, Virginia, and was homeschooled in her early elementary years! 

She’s grateful that her mom focused on “weaving the importance of beauty and the outdoors into [the] learning curriculum.” This early exposure drove her passion to protect Earth and advocate for environmental sustainability now that she is a Gator.  

Kathryn is powered by a vision to create positive change at the corporate level, where she believes the impact and societal shift can be massive.

Involvement Of A Green Gator 

Kathryn is a super-involved Gator with a lot of insights to share. Before we go any further, listen to her advice for Sustainable Gators! 

How To Have The Best Involvement Experience At UF

1. Try out a bunch of different clubs to allow yourself to find the perfect niche!
2. Make an effort to talk to upperclassmen and get advice. They have been in your shoes recently and have a lot of wisdom to offer! 
3. Join a sustainability-focused club to meet like-minded individuals who can help you make an impact for yourself and your community!

Kathryn’s Involvement Experiences 

Kathryn is the current President of Eco-Gator. Eco-Gator is a student organization focused on the intersection between sustainability and business. They aim to spread awareness about the importance of environmental sustainability to students preparing to start careers in the business world.

Kathryn’s biggest sustainability accomplishment at UF was expanding the size and success of Eco-Gator. Eco-Gator won Most Improved Student Organization for 2023 at the Heavener Gator Globes awards! Kathryn cites a 400% increase in membership from the prior year due to intentional strategies to improve member engagement and retention. 

Wondering how your organization can grow too? 

Kathryn shared her strategies with us:  

• Develop a points system for attendance with sustainable prizes for high-point earners.
• Integrate marketing efforts to have a cohesive branding look and consistent use of Instagram, LinkedIn, Mailchimp, and GroupMe.
• Create more opportunities for community outreach and internal bonding through collaborating with other clubs in events such as thrift swaps, campus clean-ups, and community service.
• Programming that teaches students about sustainable business practices such as LEED building certifications, product certifications (such as Fair Trade, Energy Star, USDA Organic), and B Corp Certifications for businesses.
• Joining UF ECO, the UF Environmental Coalition, consisting of over a dozen organizations focused on their niche within sustainability. This coalition helps us all to join resources, connect our members, and collaborate on events.

Kathryn is also involved at UF as a Global Gator Guide, where she is a mentor for international exchange students. Additionally, she has been a Teaching Assistant for CGS2531, Problem Solving Using Computer Software, for three years.

Kathryn shares, “The moments I’ve found to bond with those that I’ve met through our similar passion for sustainability have been some of my most precious, memorable experiences at UF!”

Game-Changing Coursework 

Kathryn’s favorite class at UF? 

BOT2800C, Plants in Human Affairs with Dr. Norman Douglas. 

This course focused on how plants play a major role in our lives – whether we realize it or not. “I loved that the course highlighted how plants/nature shaped the growth of human civilization through food, medicine, clothing, shelter, and even culture.” 

And, in the lab component, they learned how to make paper, soap, and candles with all-natural materials! 

Another one of Kathryn’s favorite classes at UF is ENT4934, Creativity and Innovation in the Business Environment. 

The final project in ENT4934 was to create a business plan for an innovative new product.

Kathryn’s product creation was Waste Wizard, a waste management bin powered by artificial intelligence. It could automatically sort waste into recyclable, compostable, or trash items, separated into categories based on personalized, local waste regulations! 

Kathryn dreams of using her entrepreneurial skills to start her own business focused on providing environmental consulting services to corporations and small businesses. She sure is off to a great start! 

Kathryn’s Checklist For Daily Sustainability

Although she focuses on the importance of large corporations making sustainable shifts, she also believes students can opt for eco-friendly activities they can control. 

These are the daily habits Kathryn aims to follow: 

• Walk or bike everywhere that I need to go
• Thrift almost all of my clothes (shoutout Flashbacks!) 
• Reduce plastic waste via reusable water bottles and shopping bags, recycling according to Gainesville regulations
• Practice energy efficiency by limiting water and AC use and turning off lights in the house
• Meal prepping to limit food waste and composting
• Enjoy activities that bring me closer to nature – yoga (Kathryn plans to get her yoga teaching certification after graduation!), hiking, biking, clean-ups, and intramural sports!