From Jan. 23rd to April 2, Southern Methodist University students are once again going to have a chance to prove how eco-friendly they are.
For 10 weeks, SMU will be participating in a nationwide, intercollegiate competition called RecycleMania to see which university can recycle the most reusable materials.
The school’s total amount of recycled material is measured in two categories: the Per Capita division (cans, paper and plastic) and the Targeted Materials division (corrugated cardboard).
To participate, students should place his or her recyclables in the designated recycling bin (any bin with a transparent liner), corrugated cardboard in a separate pile (to be picked up by building custodians) and all other garbage in the trash bins (any bin with a solid-colored liner).
These materials will be collected regularly, and the final count of material output will be released by the end of the year.
There will be weekly reports available throughout the competition.
Jennifer Smith, a freshman double-major in mathematics and civil engineering, said, “I hope that the competition aspect of this gets the student body motivated. SMU already has sustainability efforts,;I just don’t think everyone is aware of them. It’s important to know because we only have one Earth.”
According to the SMU Sustainability Committee, SMU contributed 77.59 tons of material to the contest, earning fifth place out of 21 participating Texas schools in the Per Capita category last year.
This year’s goal is to take SMU to the top.
SMU’s overall sustainability “grade” was raised from a C+ to a B, thanks to the Committee’s push to recycle as well as the efforts of student groups, such as the Environmental Representatives (E-Reps), who are responsible for promoting sustainability in the residence halls.
Keya Davani, an E-Rep for Boaz and McElvaney halls and Student Liaison to the RecycleMania effort, explains her job as an E-Rep as it relates to the overall movement to create a greener campus.
“A lot of people don’t know about sustainability, so we want to tell them what and how to recycle,” Davani said.
“We want to educate people about the effects of the trash build-up that’s slowly consuming our planet. We need to learn how to better manage our resources.”
Sustainability isn’t just about the walk between the recycling bin and the trash bin, according to Tiana Lightfoot Svendsen, Chair of the SMU Sustainability Committee.
Sustainability extends into habits such as walking and biking, carrying reusable water bottles, and turning off lights when leaving a room.
Svendsen reinforces the belief that “little changes can make a big difference,” and encourages students to be green in any way possible.
