The Office of Sustainability is partnering with the UH Music Library for a specially-formatted sustainability meetup that will encourage participants to unleash their creative side and be sustainable at the same time.

The meetup, which will take place Tuesday, Feb. 28, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Moore School of Music Library (Room 220), will focus on upcycling. Upcycling, also known as creative reuse, is the process of transforming discarded, unwanted materials into something useful, creative and of higher quality or environmental value. In this case, attendees will learn how to create their own book bags using plastic grocery bags. Additionally, these reusable book bags will be utilized for guests within the UH Music Library.

Because of the lengthy, hands-on nature of the upcycling activity, the meetup will be limited to 40 participants. Attendees will be divided into groups of five that will each work in 15-minute time slots. Those interested in attending must register online by Feb. 24. Vegan and gluten-free snacks and drinks will be provided.

The February meetup is the last of four February events taking place during the national RecycleMania competition. This year, the Office of Sustainability has partnered with the Student Center, the UH Music Library, UH Dining Services and Bass Computer Recycling to participate in a new competition category called Race to Zero Waste. The goal of the category is to allow colleges and universities the chance to experiment with new or more refined zero waste programs and outreach initiatives on a single building on campus. They can then use the results of these efforts as a model for the rest of the campus to follow.

At each RecycleMania event, the first 50 attendees will receive a RecycleMania button. Those who collect three buttons can enter to win a Sustainable Semester Survival prize pack, which includes a lunch kit full of reusable supplies and a T-shirt. To be entered, participants much show their button collections by taking a picture of them and posting it on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter with @UHSustain and #UHRecycleMania. They may also email the picture to sustainability@uh.edu along with their contact information.

For a full schedule of RecycleMania events, visit the Office of Sustainability website.