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Projects Updates for place: Memorial Stadium

  1. press release about zero waste game day

    Associated Project(s): 
    Zero Waste Gameday Challenge Fall 2014

     

     

       

                                                                NEWS

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                                     Oct. 1, 2014

    For more information contact

    Jim Dexter, Communications Coordinator (217) 244-3290

     

    ILLINI HOMECOMING GAME KICKS OFF MUCH MORE THAN

    A GREAT DAY OF FOOTBALL

     

    Illinois Moves to a More Sustainable Future at Its First Gameday Recycling Challenge 

     

    CHAMPAIGN, IL – This year’s University of Illinois Homecoming game against the Minnesota Golden Gophers is about more than Orange and Blue – it is also about Green.  For the first time, various campus and community partners are working together to raise awareness and have a positive lasting impact at the inaugural Zero-Waste Football Game.  Hundreds of volunteers from all over the Urbana-Champaign community will assist the thousands of spectators in reducing waste – from the money spent sending materials to landfill to the volume of materials that impact our water, air, and soil.

    “As our students, staff, faculty, and alumni gather at Homecoming, this game is a fantastic opportunity to get everyone involved in making a difference.  A recycling competition is a fun way for all to participate and in the end, know what they have accomplished.”” said Bart Bartels, sustainability outreach specialist for the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center (ISTC), a division of the Prairie Research Institute at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, who is coordinating this effort. “This is our first step to move Illinois to the top of the recycling competition’s leaderboard.”

    As our team takes the field and faces a fierce opponent, those involved in the Zero-Waste event face stiff competition from our Big 10 rivals, as this even is part of a National Competition divided up by conference and division.  Last year, Ohio State won the Big Ten challenge by piling up only 10 points (diverting 90 percent of their waste for recycling or composing).  Our Homecoming opponents, the Gophers, scored a 17 (an 83 percent diversion rate).  “While we always want to beat our Big Ten opponents, this year also serves as a baseline.  We will assess where we are and how to improve going forward,” Bartels said.

    Leading this cooperative initiative are ISTC, the Division of Intercollegiate Athletics, Facilities & Services, and the Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment.  They hope to encourage more sustainable recycling practices across the community.  Anyone who is interested in getting involved is welcome to join in the efforts.  To volunteer for the event, sign up at: http://bit.ly/1vN44SK. We are looking forward to having a large student involvement in order to make this event a success.

    Nationwide, the Game Day Recycling 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.

    Also do your part as a fan by liking the Fighting Illini Gameday Recycling Challenge Facebook page: https:// www.facebook.com/events/518311078270593/

    For more information, contact Bart Bartels at bbartel@illinois.edu.

     

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  2. August 2014 SSLC Meeting notes

    Associated Project(s): 
    Student Sustainability Leadership Council (SSLC)
    Zero Waste Gameday Challenge Fall 2014
    iSEE Congress
    Illinois: A Climate Action Plan (2010 iCAP)

    iSEE leaders provided an introduction to the SSLC

    Six Objectives: Facilitate communication, facilitate collaboration, provide a forum for student leaders to voice their opinions to iSEE and thereby to the campus administration, help identify students who can serve on iSEE working groups or advisory groups, help identify potential interns, encourage more awareness about sustainability among student body

    Unofficial objective: Create political will/pressure to implement sustainability initiatives

    Topics covered:

    • 2010 iCAP progress toward 2015 objectives
    • iSEE Congress
    • Zero Waste Game Day
    • SSLC organizational structure
    Attached Files: 

  3. Game Day Facebook page live

    Associated Project(s): 
    Zero Waste Gameday Challenge Fall 2014
    Zero Waste iCAP Team

    The Facebook page for the Game Day Recycling Challenge has been launched.  For the October 25th homecoming game we will be setting up 3 bin stations throughout the stadium for recycling, compost, and landfill.  All collected weights will be reported to the Game Day website for the national competition.  More details to follow.

    Here is the Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/events/518311078270593/.

    Here is the site for the Game Day Challenge: http://gamedaychallenge.org/.

  4. Game Day Recycling Challenge

    Associated Project(s): 
    Zero Waste Gameday Challenge Fall 2014
    Increase Recycling Rates
    Achieve Zero Waste
    Reduce Foodwaste

    The University is participating in its first Game Day Recycling Challenge at the October 25th homecoming game against the University of Minnesota.  For the event the usual landfill bins will be replaced with 3-bin stations to separate landfill, recycling, and compost.  The materials collected will be weighed, the diversion rate calculated, and then entered into a friendly national competition.  To volunteer for this event, please email Bart Bartels at bbartel@illinois.edu.  

  5. Thanks to DIA

    Associated Project(s): 
    Zero Waste Gameday Challenge Fall 2014

    Mr. Willis,

    I just want to thank you and the Division of Intercollegiate Athletics for the opportunity to compete in the Gameday Recycling Challenge.  As we discussed, we are committed to reducing environmental impact from the October 25th  game against Minnesota.  What a great way to finish Campus Sustainability Week!

    As I mentioned, the event will be take place in the stadium and it is my responsibility to recruit volunteers, set up 3 bin stations, add signage, and replace everything by Sunday afternoon.   Here is a link to the website that I mentioned.    http://gamedaychallenge.org/

    I will immediately begin planning out the details. 

    Thanks again,

    Bart Bartels

    Zero Waste Coordinator

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