THIBODAUX, La. – At the Keep Louisiana Beautiful State Conference in October of 2022, Keep Nicholls Beautiful will be honored at a luncheon along with all other Louisiana University Affiliates with UL System President Dr. Jim Henderson as the guest speaker.
Keep Louisiana Beautiful’s State Conference is an annual educational training and networking forum welcoming all individuals, Keep America Beautiful Affiliates, universities, state and local government agencies, community and business partners and non-profit organizations.
Attendees look forward to learning about proven practices and innovative programs designed to achieve a cleaner, greener and more resilient Louisiana. The conference is scheduled for Oct 11-12, 2022, at the Hilton Baton Rouge Capitol Center.
During the fall of 2021, Nicholls State University formed Keep Nicholls Beautiful by becoming part of the first cohort of Keep Louisiana Beautiful University Affiliate Program.
University Affiliate Membership with Keep Louisiana Beautiful requires addressing three areas:
- Waste reduction
- Education and engagement
- Litter removal, prevention and recycling
The affiliation process required KNB to perform a waste audit and litter survey, so as a learning project, two Nicholls Biology courses performed the waste audit. This audit characterized the types, quantities and origins of the waste in designated bins and identified recyclables mistakenly placed in garbage bins.
During this initiation phase, KNB began beautification projects on campus. Native plants grown at the Nicholls Farm were planted at the pier of the Bayou Side Park, and KNB partnered with Nicholls SGA to install new plantings around the Eternal Flame. Seven universities in the cohort met monthly to share sustainability practices successes and pitfalls on their prospective campuses.
To fulfill the waste reduction requirement, KNB coordinated Move-In Days’ cardboard recycling. During the four move-in days, members of KNB broke down and collected boxes from students moving into residence halls. All cardboard collected was given to Lafourche Arc for its cardboard recycling program.
To address education and engagement, KNB is set to partner with students in marketing and other concentrations to develop an education outreach campaign aimed at teaching the campus community about proper recycling techniques. For litter removal, an Audubon Drive clean-up is planned for this spring.
Keep Nicholls Beautiful Task Force Chair Dr. Mitzi Jackson said, “The Keep Nicholls Beautiful Task Force is made up of enthusiastic members from across campus who are committed to helping Nicholls and our community embrace exemplary sustainability practices in order to preserve and protect our beautiful south Louisiana ecosystem.”
The KNB Task Force consists of members from each college, various key departments on campus, SGA and the GREEN Club. For more information about being involved in a Nicholls campus organization, visit https://www.nicholls.edu/organizations/.
For more information about Keep Louisiana Beautiful’s State Conference, visit https://keeplouisianabeautiful.org/programs-events/stateconference/.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Thursday, September 1, 2022
MEDIA CONTACT: Jerad David, Director of Communications, 985.448.4303 or jerad.david@nicholls.edu
