College football games can draw a combined attendance of almost 2 million people – people that enjoy beverages in plastic cups, food on paper plates and merchandise in plastic bags throughout a game. That can add up to a lot of trash, much of which can actually be recycled.
This has been a huge concern for the EPA, which is why they launched the Game Day Challenge. Students were encouraged to reduce their waste and go green with professional sports and their venues.
During October, 77 colleges and universities across the country took part in the challenge targeted a total of more than 2.8 million fans to reduce waste during a home game. Ithaca College and University of Tennessee at Martin tied for the Waste Minimization Champion honor. The Game Day Challenge was hosted by the WasteWise program, which has been working with colleges and universities for many years, and recognizes the many opportunities for institutions to reduce waste, especially at school games.
In total, the schools diverted more than 500,000 pounds of waste from landfills, which prevented 940 metric tons of carbon dioxide from being released. That kind of diversion is the equivalent of the annual greenhouse emissions from 179 cars. What an impact!
Source: Earth 911
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