Keene State Kicks Off Recycling Competition
Keene State College Kicks Off its 2013 RecycleMania Collegiate Recycling Competition
13th Annual Tournament Taps Campus Rivalries to Promote Conservation
Keene State College has successfully kicked off its participation in the 2013 RecycleMania tournament, the national competition in which college campuses compete over eight weeks to see who can reduce, reuse and recycle the most on-campus waste. Keene State has participated in RecyleMania since 2005. The college’s Recycling and Sustainability Offices work together every year to bring awareness to waste diversion issues on campus throughout the eight-week competition.
“Keene State College is committed to sustainability. RecycleMania is one example of the hard work we already do on campus to reduce our waste. It is also a reminder that we can always do more,” said Heather Greenwood, Keene State College Recycling Coordinator.
In addition to Keene State, nearly 525 schools, more than 4.4 million students and nearly one million faculty and staff will be participating in 47 states, the District of Columbia and Canada. Schools compete in 11 categories to conclude which school recycles the most on a per capita basis; which produces the least amount of waste; and which recycles the largest percentage of their overall waste stream. The competition runs through March 30.
Keene State College will compete in the traditional “Per Capita Classic” to determine which school can recycle the most per person. Schools submit weight data for paper, cardboard, cans and bottles, food waste and general trash each week, and are in turn able to learn how they measure up against each other in the continuously updated results. In one of two new categories – Game Day: Basketball – schools are challenged to increase their recycling and reduce waste generation at a single home basketball game. A second new category targeting film plastics will call attention to the recyclability of items such as dry cleaning bags, shrink wrap and shopping bags.
Students are invited to participate in the weekly RecycleMania Pledge by visiting the Student Center every Monday between 11:00 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. throughout the competition. Students are encouraged to take the pledge and get entered to win a weekly prize, and take the pledge five of the seven weeks to be entered to win a free bike.
The Keene State community (students, staff and faculty) is welcome to join in a special electronic waste collection February 18 – 22 in the Student Center between 10:00 and 3:00. Bring your old cell phones, batteries, cords, wires, cables – anything with a cord or electrical source.
Staff and faculty will be challenged in the annual Office Clean-Out Competition held all over campus during Spring Break (March 11 – 15). Contact the recycling office to register.
There are many events throughout February and March. Check out our Facebook page for more information and be sure to follow us on Twitter (@ROCKSRecycling) to stay current on the competition.
In 2012, 605 participating colleges and universities recovered over 92 million pounds of recyclables and organic materials, which prevented the release of nearly 150,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (MTCO2E). This reduction in greenhouse gases is comparable to the annual emissions from more than 25,800 passenger cars; electricity use of more than nearly 16,400 homes; or the burning of nearly 705 railcars’ worth of coal.
Top schools in the 2012 competition included American University in the Grand Champion category; Union College of Schenectady, N.Y., in the Per Capita Classic; and Valencia College, which won the Waste Minimization category. “Promoting recycling and waste reduction to college students is an important step to building and sustaining vibrant communities, both on campuses and beyond,” said Keep America Beautiful President & CEO Matt McKenna. “Our organization is thrilled to sponsor and administer the RecycleMania program as part of our effort to engage the future generation of environmental stewards.”
The competition is made possible with the sponsorship support of the Alcoa Foundation, the American Forest & Paper Association, The Coca-Cola Company and SCA.
A complete list of participants can be found at http://recyclemaniacs.org. For more information about Keene State College’s RecycleMania program, contact Heather Greenwood (recycling@keene.edu).
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.
