Whittier's RecycleMania

The winners of Whittier's RecycleMania are...

Wanberg Hall,
for collecting the largest volume of recyclables
on a per capita basis; and

Wardman Hall,
for the largest percentage of residents making the
Poet Pledge to Green.

Whittier College is making a difference. You should know that by recycling during the competition, we saved 1556 gallons of oil, which is the same amount as would be used by an average household in the U.S. for about 173 days.

We also saved 13716 kilowatt hours of electricity, which is about what it takes power an average American household for a full year.

So, what’s next?

  • Even though the contest is over, we still encourage everyone to make the Poet Pledge to Green. It is easy to take, and it is easy to fulfill.
  • CONTINUE TO RECYCLE AND REDUCE YOUR OVERALL CONSUMPTION.  We are looking forward to expanding recycling to other areas of campus in the future.

This year’s competitions were a pilot project designed to encourage recycling and waste reduction on campus, prepare Whittier to compete in the national RecycleMania competition for next year, have a fun contest between residence halls, and increase education and awareness for environmental issues.

Please remember – when we adjust our habits to live more sustainably, WE ARE ALL WINNERS.

 
About Whittier College's Recyclemania (April 7 - May 1, 2008)

What is RecycleMania?

It is "a friendly competition among college and university recycling programs...that provides the campus community with a fun, proactive activity in waste reduction." Whittier's pilot program in 2008 is a three-week competition between residence halls to prepare us for a 10-week contest against other schools in 2009. The main goal of RecycleMania "is to increase student awareness of campus recycling and waste minimization."

How do we compete?

First, take the Poet Pledge to Green. Then, put all of your recyclables into the recycling containers provided on every floor of every residence hall, or into the large white bins outside each hall.

Materials that CAN be recycled include:

  • Paper and cardboard (boxes must be broken down)
  • Glass
  • Plastic
  • Cans

Materials that CANNOT be recycled include:

  • Food waste (including dirty pizza boxes)
  • Broken glass
  • Electronics, batteries, oil, etc. (they need to be collected separately)

What if I don't live in a residence hall but I want to compete?

Students who don't live on campus and others who would like to recycle and contribute to the competition are encouraged to choose a residence hall and contribute their recyclables there.

In fact, residents of the halls are encouraged to collect recyclables wherever the can on campus, so feel free to "adopt" an academic or administrative building, for example.

What can we win?

In addition to fame, glory, and pride in doing something good for the Earth...

The residence hall with the largest percentage of residents and supporters to take the pledge wins a fabulous, private dining experience!

The residence hall that collects the largest volume of recyclables per capita gets to choose between three possible prizes:

  1. A tree planted on campus in honor of the hall ( with perpetual recognition); OR
  2. A $250 donation from the hall made to EarthWorks Enterprises, a local nonprofit job training and leadership development program for high school students who organically grow and sell fruit, vegetables, and flowers; OR
  3. A refillable sports bottle for each participant!

What happens after the competition is over?

This is a pilot recycling program. Ultimately, we want everyone on campus to minimize the waste we create and recycle as much as possible. We hope to learn what worked well and what needs to be changed from this competition.

The containers will remain in the residence halls and the big white bins will still be taken to the recycling center after the competition concludes, so please continue to recycle!

What if I have more questions or suggestions?

Please e-mail ClimateCommitment@whittier.edu

This Earth-friendly message is brought to you by
the President's Climate Commitment Task Force.

PURPLE & GOLD GO GREEN!