2014 RecycleMania: Collegiate Recycling Competition Focuses on Student Engagement
2014
RecycleMania: Collegiate Recycling Competition Focuses on Student
Engagement
Georgia Southern University has successfully kicked off its participation
in the 2014 RecycleMania tournament, the national competition in which college
campuses compete over eight weeks to see which can reduce, reuse and recycle
the most on-campus waste.
In addition to Georgia Southern University, hundreds of schools and
millions of students, faculty, and staff will be participating across the U.S. and
Canada. Schools compete in 11 categories to see which recycles the most paper, cardboard, cans and bottles, and
food waste on a per capita basis; which can produce the least amount of waste;
and which recycles the largest percentage of their overall waste stream. Additional
categories recognize successful recycling at home basketball games and call
attention to the recyclability of film plastic and scrap electronics. The
competition runs through March 30.
Updated rankings published online each Friday allow schools to track
their progress and rally to improve their standings against rival colleges.
During RecycleMania, students, faculty and staff at Georgia Southern can
expect to win prizes and public recognition if they are “Caught Green Handed” in
the act of recycling. Those seen
refilling reusable coffee or tea mugs on campus may discover their “Mug Shot”
on social media and in the paper. In
addition, the Center for Sustainability and its partners will create a greenhouse
from plastic water bottles to promote the re-use of recyclable materials.
“RecycleMania is an opportunity for us to raise awareness about our
campus recycling program as well as waste reduction and conservation issues in
general. And, of course, it’s also fun”, said Christina Beslin, graduate assistant for The Center for Sustainability.
“RecycleMania is
exciting because it builds on traditional college rivalries by adding recycling
to the list of things that schools can brag about when it comes to their
archrivals," said Stacy Wheeler, president of RecycleMania, Inc. "The competition aspect of the
event makes it fun and helps to encourage everyone on the entire campus to make
recycling a part of their daily routines."
In 2013, 91 million pounds
of recyclables and organic materials were recovered at Georgia Southern
University, which prevented the release of greenhouse gases comparable to the
carbon sequestered by 99,535 acres of U.S. forests in one year.
Top schools in the 2013 competition included University of Missouri
Kansas City in the Grand Champion category; California State
University San Marcos, in the
Per Capita Classic; and Valencia College, which won the Waste Minimization
category for the second straight year.
“Encouraging waste reduction and recycling among college students is
crucial to building and sustaining vibrant communities, both on campuses and
beyond,” said Keep America Beautiful’s Brenda Pulley, senior vice president,
recycling. “Supporting Recyclemania is a key component of KAB’s efforts
to improve recycling on college campuses.”
The competition is made possible with the continued sponsorship
support of the Alcoa Foundation, the American Forest & Paper Association, The
Coca-Cola Company and SCA Tissue. Georgia Southern University’s participation
in RecycleMania is made possible in part by Student Sustainability Fees.
A complete list of participants can be found at RecycleManiacs.org. For
more information about Georgia Southern University’s RecycleMania program,
contact the Center for Sustainability at cfs@georgiasouthern.edu or by phone
912-478-5895.
About RecycleMania
RecycleMania was launched in 2001 as a friendly challenge between Ohio
University and Miami University to increase recycling on their campuses. Today,
RecycleMania is an independent program of RecycleMania, Inc. The program is
made possible with sponsorship support from the Alcoa Foundation, American
Forest & Paper Association, The Coca-Cola Company and SCA. Program
management is provided by Keep America Beautiful with additional program
support from the U.S. EPA’s WasteWise program and the College and University
Recycling Coalition (CURC). RecycleMania is proud to partner with UNCF Special
Programs, the Campus Conservation Nationals, National Wildlife Federation’s Campus
Ecology and the Association
for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE). To learn more about RecycleMania, visit
www.recyclemania.org.
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