Category: Green Gator of the Month

Take a look back at the incredible advice given by the Green Gators! We’ve featured 28 Green Gators of the Month, and every single one has given valuable insights about how to be a sustainable member of the UF community.

Kathryn Davis, a Business Management major, has a vision to create change at the corporate level. She dreams of using her entrepreneurial skills to start her own business focused on providing environmental consulting services to corporations and small businesses. Kathryn is the President of Eco-Gator and she shares her strategies for improving your student org!

Dr. Kole Ade-Odutola is a Senior Lecturer at UF in the Department of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures with a deep passion for sustainability, culture, and art. His UF Quest course, Is There Culture in Architecture?, teaches students how to recognize history, identity, and sustainability within building design.

Meet Zoe Richter, the first Green Gator of 2025! Zoe is an active member of student government at UF, serving as a student representative on the Sustainability Committee. She wants to pursue environmental protection law and environmental law. Keep reading to find out what she thinks is the easiest way to be sustainable as a student.

Michael Volk works to intertwine sustainability with land use planning as part of his role as a Research Associate Professor and Associate Director of UF’s Center for Landscape Conservation Planning. He encourages collaboration on sustainability issues and strives to welcome everyone to the table that can contribute.

Brynn’s wildlife and conservation interests have taken her around the world to observe and work side-by-side other cultures to learn more about sustainability in different environments in Madagascar and Honduras. At UF, Brynn relies on her awesome mentors for support and advice navigating a future in sustainability!

Lauren Keiser is an Event Manager with the UF Conference Department. She helps finalize venues, catering, transportation, lodging, travel, materials, swag, and more for events. In doing so, she is well-positioned to make suggestions and adjustments that can better the planet. Her advice is unforgettable – “Events are inevitable, but the waste they produce doesn’t have to be.”

Madeline Stewart talks with us about her job at the Butterfly Rainforest, Manatee County Natural Resources Department Internship, and her thesis covering the connections between hunting and Fish and Wildlife Department funding nationally. You also don’t want to miss her poetic explanation of what drives her commitment to sustainability!

Anusha Chaudhary, PhD student of Medical Geography and instructor for Conservation of Resources, is the Green Gator of the Month! She says her favorite thing about teaching is meeting new students every semester and having a cross-learning environment. Whether it be conservation updates, fun facts, or new slang, she enjoys the opportunity to learn from students while they learn from her. 

Dr. Danny Coenen is heavily involved in educating, promoting, and supporting sustainability at UF through his work. He is an Instructional Associate Professor of Environment Science and the Undergraduate Coordinator for the School of Natural Resources and Environment (SNRE). He teaches EVR2001, Intro to Environmental Science, and impacts hundreds of students each year who otherwise may never engage with sustainability in their lives.

Get to know Maddie Kowalewski, the Sustainability Manager for Florida Fresh Dining at UF! She talks to us about salvageable food, local businesses, and climate anxiety. Maddie shares her journey into sustainable living and provides important insights into easy ways to change the things that you can control.

Chris Landaeta, a nearly lifelong resident of Gainesville, is super active in the local environmental scene. He finds joy in bringing people from UF and beyond together to work on the common goal of protecting the environment. Chris defines sustainability as a Venn diagram where environmentally friendly, economically feasible, and socially just actions overlap.

Valentina Padron-Rasines is a Sustainability Studies major who has a passion for social justice and preserving the environment. We talk to her about her internships as a LEED for Cities Intern and a Sustainability Intern with Alachua County. Her experiences have given her a positive outlook and an understanding of how to implement successful public policy!

Jess Mercier is the Assistant Director of Outreach and Marketing for UF Study Abroad. She’s dedicated to sustainable event processes, committed to exploring the intersection of sustainability and international travel, AND she’s running her own vintage and secondhand thrift resale business!

Mayssa Shalhoub hopes to serve as an example of how living sustainably can allow a person to tap into their personal creativity and connect with their community – and she’s doing a great job! Learn more and read her unofficial guide to sustainability at UF.

Jim Vignola, Project Manager for Planning, Design & Construction, is leading the way on new building projects at UF. Find out more about the awards his team won on the new Special Collections building and about the priority he puts on repurposing!

David Flores has it all – impressive internships, robust student involvement, experience in exciting sustainability courses as a dual degree student majoring in both Environmental Engineering and Sustainability Studies. You don’t want to miss his recommendations and advice for other sustainable Gators!

Elizabeth “Rocket” Walker is all in on supporting the local community here in Gainesville. Whether she’s trying to save the springs, fighting gentrification, teaching science to the next generation, or simply working on conservation projects – she’s ready to do whatever it takes to make an impact.

Dustin Stephany, Sustainable Building Coordinator, has done so much to help improve green building certification standards at UF. He also has tons of wisdom to share about how he approaches sustainability. Keep reading to hear more about the influence of his Native American identity.

UF Marine Sciences major Chloe Schwab looks back on her incredible experiential learning opportunities to perform research across the world! She also reminds us that there is always time for small actions that can improve sustainability.

When Anna learned the different ways you can be an environmentalist besides being a scientist, she really appreciated the lesson. “You can be a teacher, an artist, or a communicator. Anything can be tied back to protecting our planet,” Anna explains.

Go on a career journey with student favorite Dr. Stephen Mulkey to learn how he wound up teaching and designing climate change coursework here at UF.

Gali is a third-year transfer student from Mexico City. Her exciting internships will give her the perspective she needs to pursue a future in consulting that can help provide a more sustainable life to people worldwide.

Dr. Harold “Hal” Knowles has been dedicated to sharing his passion for sustainability at UF for over two decades! He shares his favorite contributions with us and explains the importance of mentorship.