Gainesville mayor Pegeen Hanrahan and SFCC President Jackson Sasser discussed the possibility of a mass transit system for SFCC students Wednesday.
The discussion was part of the first time SFCC participated in the annual Campus Sustainability Day, said Julie Garrett, a member of the Sustainable Santa Fe Committee. The committee is a group of faculty, staff and students who are trying to make SFCC a more sustainable campus, Garrett said.
"Transit is a big issue because the Santa Fe students don't have the same opportunity as the UF students to ride the buses," Hanrahan said.
Hanrahan said she and Sasser will work together to bring the issue of a mass transit system for SFCC to the state Legislature's higher education committee to get it approved.
Other than a mass transit system, Sasser and Hanrahan discussed other ways for SFCC to have a more environmentally friendly campus, which included recycling and how sustainability could become a part of every curriculum at the college.
They held a lunch on what a sustainable SFCC would look like in the S Building on the northwest campus.
Dance Theatre Santa Fe also performed a dance routine around campus with large spheres that represented the earth.
Local businesses, nonprofit groups, government groups and SFCC's Model United Nations set tables up to inform the students and staff what to do to practice sustainability on the E Breezeway of the northwest campus.
Mike Amish represented Indigo, a locally owned business located downtown. Amish said that Indigo is a green home and business supply store.
He said Indigo sells things such as recycled trash bags, cleaning supplies, floors, countertops and shingles, all made from environmentally friendly parts.
"We are trying to help change the way people build the homes and help them live healthy lives at the same time," Amish said.
Ramesh Buch, land conservation program manager for Alachua County Forever, said that the group was started in 2000 to keep space in the county green and open.
It is in the process of figuring out which will be preserved and which will be set up for recreational use.
Rebecca Rogers, project manager of facilities and services for SFCC, said the day is a celebration of sustainability in higher education.
