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University to compete in national recycling contest

Written by Sarah Lutz, The Shorthorn staff

Thursday, 29 January 2009 08:26 PM

Criminal justice senior Debritu Alamrew empties a recycling bin Thursday in the Multicultural Affairs office. The entire campus is competing in Recyclemania, a nationwide recycling contest, ending March 28. (The Shorthorn: Meghan Williams)

The entire campus is being called on to compete in a nationwide recycling contest through March 28 for the second time.

RecycleMania promotes waste reduction by asking schools to compete against each other in a 10-week period.

Becky Valentich, the contest coordinator and Environmental and Health safety specialist, said the results could help the university’s standing in environmental ratings. The university has previously scored low on sustainability surveys like the Princeton Review. Valentich said campus recyclables from bins around campus would be weighed, the numbers sent to RecycleMania’s Web site, and the university’s division winner will be chosen on highest number per capita. The university’s division hasn’t been assigned yet.

Valentich said there are different competition categories but because the university’s recycling contractor, Abitibi-Consolidated, already weighs the university’s recyclables, the Per Capita Classic was the best category for the university.

“They’ll take in how many students we have, how many faculty, staff,” Valentich said. “Last year, we were in the partial division per capita, and I think we were 35 out of 55, and that’s probably good for the first time out.”

Valentich said the contest was expanded to include the entire campus, but last year it was a competition among residence halls. This year, residence halls are competing to see who can best promote the contest.

“Right now every R.A. has put up a bulletin board promoting RecycleMania,” Floyd Woods, Arlington Hall resident assistant, said. “This year, it goes to whoever has the nicest scrapbook with all the trimmings, pictures of the most recycling or somebody potting a plant.”

Residence halls will be doing much more for RecycleMania next month and in March, Denishea Williams, Arlington Hall council president, said.

“Right now, we have to have the next hall council meeting on Feb. 4,” she said. “So, hopefully, by the time we finish our next brainstorming, we’ll actually have something put together.”

Williams said the council will organize events pertaining to RecycleMania for each day in March.

“We’re going to get all the residents to sign a petition,” she said. “In the petition, we’re asking all the residents to participate in RecycleMania, and there will be a big calendar with crazy stuff until the end of RecycleMania.”
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 18 February 2009 03:59 PM )

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