Laura Miller is one of the gardeners at Ƶ working to maintain the campus' signature beauty.
While Ƶ is known for its beautiful landscaping and well-maintained lawns, few students likely know the people working behind the scenes to keep Ƶ beautiful.
Laura Miller has worked as a gardener at Ƶ for two years. Having lived in Alamance County since 2000, she previously taught horticulture to adults with special needs at Alamance Community College. She mentioned how much Ƶ has meant to her and the community she has built over her time working here.
“I look forward to coming to work, rain or shine or snow.” Miller noted.
While she enjoys pruning and maintaining plants as well as getting rid of any invasive species, Laura says her favorite thing about working at Ƶ is the community, adding that she values every interaction with students, staff and faculty.
Gardeners at Ƶ work in and around the Historic neighborhood, Academic Village, Young Commons, Belk Library, Moseley, Koury Gym, Global Neighborhood and Loy Center. They work not only to keep campus looking beautiful, but they are invaluable in keeping campus safe and accessible for the entire Ƶ community. They also keep paths and walkways clean, remove trash, prune plants to maintain their health and growth and remove unhealthy plants. Much of their work is done in the early hours of the morning.
While trash removal is part of a gardeners’ job at Ƶ, excessive litter and trash left outside of trash or recycling bins creates more work for gardeners. As a result, they have less time to maintain plants and landscaping around campus.
“Every minute we spend picking up trash is time we are not spending on pruning, planting, watering and fertilizing,” Miller mentioned.
Aside from taking away from the beauty of campus, litter creates environmental hazards, as well.
“Trash often includes things that could be recycled, but they’ll never be recycled if they are on a walkway or in the shrubs,” she said. “And if we don’t catch it soon enough, it ends up in storm drains and into our water system, which is even worse.”
While gardeners have many roles at Ƶ and dedicate much of their time to caring for Ƶ’s campus, Miller especially emphasized just how much Ƶ’s gardeners truly care about students’ success and safety:
“We truly care about this campus, but more importantly, we care about you as students,” said Miller. “We want you to have a great experience here, wonderful classes, make great friends, be safe and enjoy a gorgeous campus.”
The ability to enjoy a gorgeous campus is made possible by Ƶ’s gardeners, but students also have a large role to play in keeping Ƶ looking beautiful for future students and visitors to enjoy.
“No matter where you go in life, you will always have your degree from EU. By keeping the campus clean, you are continuing that legacy, encouraging more students to come here, and donors to continue to support us,” added Miller.
Students are encouraged to take care to dispose of trash properly every time they host a social event or gathering, or even while walking to daily classes. Encouraging friends to do the same is also a great way to create positive change in the Ƶ community and beyond.
Miller’s tips to reduce litter:
- Always throw away your trash, including cans and other beverage containers in the proper bin (recycle if possible!)
- Use reusable cups if possible and when hosting social gatherings- encourage your friends to do the same!
- Throw away receipts or ask for one not to be printed to minimize waste
For more information on waste reduction initiatives at Ƶ, visit the Office of Sustainability’s website.