The University needs a director to sustain the environmental momentum on campus, a facilities planning official said Thursday night.

According to Daniel Sniff, associate vice president of University Architects for Facilities Planning, the University needs to hire a director to sustain environmental efforts on campus.

Such an administrator could “bridge the gap” between environmental initiatives and administration, he said.

Last year, according to a representative from the University Physical Plant, a Green Cleaning initiative was implemented to improve air quality and reduce the amount of harmful agents in the air indoors.

The Athens-Clarke County Recycling Division created five-minute podcasts to encourage 18- to 29-year-old students to practice moderate energy consumption and recycling, said Suki Janssen, the waste reduction administrator.

The initiative is one of many created by the University or local environmental agencies.

A panel that met Thursday encouraged student involvement in promoting environmental sustainability and cautioned that initiatives will not survive without students to actively participate.

“Nobody has a stronger voice than you do,” Sniff said.

“If you want us to change how we do things around here, you need to tell us so we can change it.”

“It’s trendy to be green,” said Mark Milby, recycling coordinator of Students for Environmental Awareness.

Milby said the failure of Tate II to become Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified was a catalyst for students to petition for recycling efforts in contracts with waste management facilities.

More than 1,000 signatures have been collected so far, Milby said.

Sniff said budget cuts were partly responsible for the decision.

“It was a decision made with thought,” he said. “It’s not because there’s not a willingness.”

He said students “should be upset” and that if it were up to him things would be “different.”

Janssen said the ACC landfill will not last more than five years.

She said recycling should not be used as a “crutch” and waste reduction is important to sustaining a cleaner environment.

“Right now, we are riding a wave of green,” Janssen said. “We need to make changes now and we need input from students.”

The town hall discussion was sponsored by the Go Green Alliance, an initiative started this semester by a public relations campaigns class.

The Alliance will sponsor “8 Days to Go Green” Oct. 14-21 in recognition of “National Energy Awareness Month.”

“We serve you,” Sniff said. “If you want us to change how we do things around here, you need to tell us so we can change it.”