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FutureVU: Sustainability

FutureVU: Sustainability

Vanderbilt scores big in game day recycling challenge

Posted by on Friday, February 1, 2013 in Green Rankings, News, Waste & Recycling.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently announced the results of the 2012 Game Day Recycling Challenge, and Vanderbilt University scored big.

Game Day challenge is a voluntary recycling competition among U.S. colleges and universities with the goal of reducing waste generated at college football games and increasing participation in and awareness of recycling.

For the 2012 challenge, Vanderbilt chose the home football game against Auburn University on Oct. 20, generating a whopping 84 percent increase in recycling volume over our game day participation in 2011.

Vanderbilt also excelled in the waste minimization category:

  • 1st out of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) schools,
  • 8th in the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), and
  • 22nd out of 63 participating colleges and universities, including Division II and III schools.

Recycling is good for the planet

From September through November 2012, 79 schools and 5.4 million football fans diverted nearly 1.09 million pounds of waste from football games, which prevented more than 1,732 metric tons of carbon dioxide from being released.

This season, Vanderbilt Athletics partnered with Waste Management, Inc., the university’s waste and recycling vendor, as well as Vanderbilt’s Sustainability and Environmental Management Office (SEMO) and Students Promoting Environmental Awareness and Responsibility (SPEAR) to make this year’s competition a success.(image courtesy of SustainVU)

Your participation makes a difference

During the football season, recycling receptacles are available at gates and in tailgate areas at each home game so fans are able to easily dispose of plastics and aluminum cans from tailgate activities before entering Vanderbilt Stadium.

Additionally, recycling containers are prominently placed throughout the stadium to promote halftime and post-game recycling. Thank you for being a part of this important effort.

Learn more about collegiate recycling efforts

The 2012 Game Day Challenge is a partnership of the College and University Recycling Coalition (CURC), RecycleMania and Keep America Beautiful (KAB) and is supported by EPA’s WasteWise program. Full results can be found at the Game Day Challenge website.

More information about Vanderbilt’s recycling and sustainability programs can be found on the SustainVU website.

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