At the N.C. State game on Oct. 27, UNC students should show they can beat State in more ways than just football.
The game against State this year has been designated by the UNC student government environmental action committee as UNC’s Game Day Challenge game, from which the University will submit its recycling and other waste reduction results to a national competition.
Last year, 75 schools competed in the challenge, which receives support from the Environmental Protection Agency. The competition promotes environmental stewardship at games by implementing waste reduction programs and tracking their savings.
For the last two years, N.C. State has been ranked higher than UNC in the greenhouse gas reduction and recycling categories.
However, students should reverse that trend this year.
The environmental action committee and UNC’s Office of Waste Reduction and Recycling have already been very involved in implementing programs to encourage greener athletic events.
We’ve all seen the many blue bins placed throughout Kenan Stadium. Also, the bottles, cans and blue cups sold at concession stands are all recyclable.
However, half (or more, depending on who you’re asking) of the excitement of a game happens outside the stadium. Tailgaters produce enormous amounts of waste, much of which could easily be recycled but often isn’t.
Efforts to rectify this situation have already been somewhat successful.