WASHINGTON This fall, colleges across the…
WASHINGTON – This fall, colleges across the country will
compete to see which schools can reduce, reuse, and recycle the
most waste as part of the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency’s (EPA’s) 2011 Game Day Challenge. Registration
for the competition is now open, and champions will be crowned this
December.
Any college or university in the United States with a football
team can compete. The challenge is for schools to design a waste
reduction plan for one 2011 regular season home football game and
measure the results. Schools can collect common materials for
recycling including paper, beverage containers, cardboard, and food
to be donated and composted. The amount of waste generated and
recycled will determine which school is the greenest on the
gridiron.
Schools can win in several categories:
• Least amount of waste generated per
attendee
• Greatest greenhouse gas reductions from
diverting waste
• Highest recycling rate
• Highest organics reduction rate (i.e.,
food donation and composting)
• Highest combined recycling and composting
rate.
The competition is sponsored by EPA’s WasteWise program, a
voluntary program through which organizations eliminate costly
municipal solid waste and select industrial wastes, benefiting
their bottom line and the environment. Reducing waste generated at
collegiate sporting events can save energy and reduce greenhouse
gas emissions. Last year, more than 75 participating schools kept
500,000 pounds of waste out of landfills, which prevented nearly
940 metric tons of carbon dioxide from being released equivalent to
the annual greenhouse gas emissions of approximately 180
cars.
More information on the Game Day Challenge: http://www.epa.gov/gameday
To register for the Challenge: https://my.re-trac.com/gameday
More information about EPA’s WasteWise program:
http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/partnerships/wastewise/index.htm
