Spring Break
Campus green power proved in 2009 Recyclemania
Oregon State ranked first in the Per Capita Classic among all schools in Pacific Northwest
Ryan Gunderson
Issue date: 5/5/09 Section: News
By Ryan Gunderson
The Daily Barometer
Something as simple as putting an empty sports drink in the proper recycling bin can often be overlooked, as it's easy to throw something away in the nearest garbage can. But at Oregon State, the students and faculty have gone the extra mile to ensure that the OSU campus is as eco-friendly as possible this year.
OSU's success in the 2009 Recyclemania competition proves their efforts.
"Recycling is good for the environment and it helps reduce our carbon footprint," said Peter Lepre, Jr., the recycling manager at the OSU Campus Recycling Center.
Recyclemania 2009 was a nationwide contest between 510 universities and institutions in all 50 states that ran Jan. 18 through March 28. The contest measured how much raw material each campus could recycle (on campus only) during the time period. All the universities and institutions together totaled over 69.4 million pounds during the contest.
In the competition for highest weight collected per person on campus, called the Per Capita Classic, OSU ranked first among all schools in the Pacific Northwest. In addition, OSU finished first among all Oregon schools and second in the Pacific Northwest in the Gorilla Prize category, the competition for the highest cumulative weight recycled. Overall, OSU was able to recycle 385,132 pounds during the event.
Residence halls and campus dining centers provide the bulk of recycling on campus, and students in the dorms were encouraged to participate. The recycling center hopes that by encouraging good habits now, students will continue to recycle once they move off campus.
In addition to dining centers and residence halls, students were encouraged to use the many recycle bins that can be found around campus.
The Recycling Center employs between 15 and 20 students each school year that help promote recycling and encourage their peers to get involved.
According to Andrea Norris, an assistant in the recycling program, it's important that students are well educated, but it's even more important that they utilize their knowledge to help clean up the university and the city. The Recycling Center, in partnership with Allied Waste, also offers a 10-week program to teach people more about recycling and what they can do.
The Recycling Center "would love to get more students involved in the future," Norris said. Students were able to view OSU's standings in the contest by stopping by the stand in the MU Quad that promoted Recyclemania. The booth also provided information on recycling, which can be useful for many students who are living on their own for the first time.
More information on Recyclemania and the Recycling Center can be found at the Campus Recycling website, http://recycle.oregonstate.edu.
Ryan Gunderson, staff writer
news@dailybarometer.com, 737-2231
The Daily Barometer
Something as simple as putting an empty sports drink in the proper recycling bin can often be overlooked, as it's easy to throw something away in the nearest garbage can. But at Oregon State, the students and faculty have gone the extra mile to ensure that the OSU campus is as eco-friendly as possible this year.
OSU's success in the 2009 Recyclemania competition proves their efforts.
"Recycling is good for the environment and it helps reduce our carbon footprint," said Peter Lepre, Jr., the recycling manager at the OSU Campus Recycling Center.
Recyclemania 2009 was a nationwide contest between 510 universities and institutions in all 50 states that ran Jan. 18 through March 28. The contest measured how much raw material each campus could recycle (on campus only) during the time period. All the universities and institutions together totaled over 69.4 million pounds during the contest.
In the competition for highest weight collected per person on campus, called the Per Capita Classic, OSU ranked first among all schools in the Pacific Northwest. In addition, OSU finished first among all Oregon schools and second in the Pacific Northwest in the Gorilla Prize category, the competition for the highest cumulative weight recycled. Overall, OSU was able to recycle 385,132 pounds during the event.
Residence halls and campus dining centers provide the bulk of recycling on campus, and students in the dorms were encouraged to participate. The recycling center hopes that by encouraging good habits now, students will continue to recycle once they move off campus.
In addition to dining centers and residence halls, students were encouraged to use the many recycle bins that can be found around campus.
The Recycling Center employs between 15 and 20 students each school year that help promote recycling and encourage their peers to get involved.
According to Andrea Norris, an assistant in the recycling program, it's important that students are well educated, but it's even more important that they utilize their knowledge to help clean up the university and the city. The Recycling Center, in partnership with Allied Waste, also offers a 10-week program to teach people more about recycling and what they can do.
The Recycling Center "would love to get more students involved in the future," Norris said. Students were able to view OSU's standings in the contest by stopping by the stand in the MU Quad that promoted Recyclemania. The booth also provided information on recycling, which can be useful for many students who are living on their own for the first time.
More information on Recyclemania and the Recycling Center can be found at the Campus Recycling website, http://recycle.oregonstate.edu.
Ryan Gunderson, staff writer
news@dailybarometer.com, 737-2231
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