Welcome to the UGA Office of Sustainability (UGA OoS) Blogspot, a blog managed and written by students, faculty and staff who are engaged in sustainability across the university. Together we are working to create a model for healthy living on campus and beyond, meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs. Our goal is a campus that functions as a living laboratory where sustainability is researched, taught, practiced and constantly refined; a place were students faculty and staff enhance the quality of life in their communities both physical and scholarly.

The goal of the blog is to discover and promote sustainability projects, events and programs across campus, sharing our successes and struggles. We hope this site will promote productive conversations that will help lead us to a sustainable future. Please join us, share you comments, and let’s build a sustainable campus together.

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Goats Get to Work on Campus

UGA just got a few new furry additions - and they're not just here to be cute!

Six goats now live in a fenced-in pen beside Hull Street parking deck, and two more are coming soon. The goats are known as the Tanyard Creek Chew Crew and are part of a student-run project funded by a 2012 sustainability grant. They'll be living near Hull Street deck for the next six weeks, and during that time will be munching their way through invasive plant species such as privet and English Ivy - a removal tactic known as prescribed grazing.

Zach Richardson, a senior landscape architecture major at UGA, developed the idea for the Chew Crew project. Students and professors from the Warnell School of Forestry and the College of Environment and Design are also involved in the project, and two photography students and three English students will be documenting the goats' progress each week with photos and videos. A time lapse camera installed on Hull Street Deck will also document the change in vegetation of the area during the duration of the project. Signs along the fence help educate passersby who might wonder, "where did these goats come from?"
The goats have lots of room to roam (and plenty of plants to eat) along Tanyard Creek, and even have a shelter to retreat to when it rains. The shelter was constructed by Chris McDowell, a master of landscape architecture student (and another sustainability grant recipient!). It's great for the goats and sustainable too - McDowell used only salvaged materials to build it.


But the goats can't do it all on their own - the project needs help from students too! Work days are held every Wednesday from 3:30 - 6 p.m., during which volunteers will help remove invasive plant species from the area. Students from a College of Environment and Design class are planning an interactive Goat Day on Saturday, April 14 (the day of the G-Day game). Students and visitors will be able to see the goats and learn more about their work on campus. More events are in the works, so check back for details, and until then, be sure to stop by on Wednesdays to volunteer or pay the goats a visit on your way to class!
-Katie Valentine

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