Green Corner:It’s Recycle Mania time again!
February 9, 2012
By Alyssa Tomaskovic
Lycourier Staff
While millions of Americans were tuning into the showdown between the Patriots and the Giants on Super Bowl Sunday, February 5th was also significant in another competitive respect. Sunday marked the kick-off of a ten week long nationwide recycling challenge known as RecycleMania.
Started in 2001, as a contest created by the recycling coordinators at Ohio University and Miami University, it eventually became a countrywide event to draw support for eco-issues from students who would otherwise not engage in recycling activities. (For those of you keeping tabs on the rivalry between the two schools, Miami University came away with the win during the inaugural year.)
The most recent competition (2011) included 630 colleges representing 49 states and 4 Canadian provinces. Over 7.5 million students and staff participated, collectively recycling 91 million pounds of recyclables and organic materials were recovered. This activity helped to prevent the release of 127,553 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (MTCO2E), equivalent to the greenhouse gas emissions of 25,000 passenger cars, or the electricity use of more than 15,500 homes.
Lycoming College has traditionally put up good numbers in the competition. Several years ago, students, faculty, and staff placed first in the state and 11th in the nation (in Targeted Materials-Bottles and Cans) in the Seventh Annual RecycleMania contest. During last year’s competition, Lyco recycled almost 11,000 pounds of trash during the 8 week period!
Throughout RecycleMania, Lycoming's buildings and grounds staff collects plastic, glass, cans, cardboard and paper from receptacles across the campus. The recyclables are then weighed and data is recorded weekly by Alyssa Tomaskovic and Laura Walter, the college’s sustainability coordinator and co-coordinator, Chelsea Brewer, the vice-president of LEAF, and Michelle Herman, a member of LEAF.
While it can be a dirty job, the reward is visible and beneficial to the environment. “Anything recycled and kept out of the landfill extends the ability of the county to maintain a place for trash generated in Lycoming County,” said Dr. Mel Zimmerman, Chair of the Lycoming College Biology Department. “Recycling pays.”
The competition runs from February 5th to March 31st. The Sustainability Office and LEAF ask that members of the college community continue to be diligent in separating their recyclables and not to throw everything into one garbage can. The trash rooms in the residence halls have been labeled for convenience and clarity. Weekly updates of the results can be found by going to recyclemania.com or to Lycoming’s Sustainability webpage.
All statistics are courtesy of recyclemania.com and the Environmental Audit.
Lycourier Staff
While millions of Americans were tuning into the showdown between the Patriots and the Giants on Super Bowl Sunday, February 5th was also significant in another competitive respect. Sunday marked the kick-off of a ten week long nationwide recycling challenge known as RecycleMania.
Started in 2001, as a contest created by the recycling coordinators at Ohio University and Miami University, it eventually became a countrywide event to draw support for eco-issues from students who would otherwise not engage in recycling activities. (For those of you keeping tabs on the rivalry between the two schools, Miami University came away with the win during the inaugural year.)
The most recent competition (2011) included 630 colleges representing 49 states and 4 Canadian provinces. Over 7.5 million students and staff participated, collectively recycling 91 million pounds of recyclables and organic materials were recovered. This activity helped to prevent the release of 127,553 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (MTCO2E), equivalent to the greenhouse gas emissions of 25,000 passenger cars, or the electricity use of more than 15,500 homes.
Lycoming College has traditionally put up good numbers in the competition. Several years ago, students, faculty, and staff placed first in the state and 11th in the nation (in Targeted Materials-Bottles and Cans) in the Seventh Annual RecycleMania contest. During last year’s competition, Lyco recycled almost 11,000 pounds of trash during the 8 week period!
Throughout RecycleMania, Lycoming's buildings and grounds staff collects plastic, glass, cans, cardboard and paper from receptacles across the campus. The recyclables are then weighed and data is recorded weekly by Alyssa Tomaskovic and Laura Walter, the college’s sustainability coordinator and co-coordinator, Chelsea Brewer, the vice-president of LEAF, and Michelle Herman, a member of LEAF.
While it can be a dirty job, the reward is visible and beneficial to the environment. “Anything recycled and kept out of the landfill extends the ability of the county to maintain a place for trash generated in Lycoming County,” said Dr. Mel Zimmerman, Chair of the Lycoming College Biology Department. “Recycling pays.”
The competition runs from February 5th to March 31st. The Sustainability Office and LEAF ask that members of the college community continue to be diligent in separating their recyclables and not to throw everything into one garbage can. The trash rooms in the residence halls have been labeled for convenience and clarity. Weekly updates of the results can be found by going to recyclemania.com or to Lycoming’s Sustainability webpage.
All statistics are courtesy of recyclemania.com and the Environmental Audit.
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