Two teams of Elon University students, faculty and staff - The Veggies and the Librarians on Greene - scored highest for their landfill waste reduction behaviors during this spring’s Phoenix Cup Competition.
During the Feb. 16 – March 6 competition, participants earned points by taking action, and potentially developing new habits, to reduce landfill waste.
In addition to completing items on the checklist, teams also took a number of steps to reduce landfill waste. One team even brought attention to the scope of the issue via its team name: “You will produce 127,000lbs of garbage in your lifetime”.
Other teams – Team Earth, the Green Beans and the Veggies – all measured the landfill waste they produced each week and came well under the U.S. average of 4.4 pounds per person, per day.
One participant works at a school that does not have recycling and found a way to recycle all the papers from her class. Another went vegetarian for a month, some watched informative documentaries together, and others told colleagues and peers about easy ways to contribute.
Staff members in the Office of Sustainability thank everyone for contributing to Elon’s sustainability efforts and participating. Elon students Sara Charbonnier, Sophie Parker and Elle Thompson formed ‘The Veggies’ and earned the most points per person. In a close second was ‘The Green Beans,’ composed of Julia Needham, Mary Alice Allnutt, Caroline Dean, Kaylyn Brock, Jensen Collins and Alicia Paul.
Additional team and individual participation prizes go to Vineyard and Karly Shaubach. Student prizes will be distributed at the baseball game on April 1.
The faculty-staff team earning the most points per person was reigning champions ‘Librarians on Greene’ with ‘Sustainability Scholars’ taking a close second.
Though Phoenix Cup is over, everyone can still help increase diversion rates by ‘Minding the Bin’ and keeping recyclables and compostables out of the trash. Of all the items thrown away in the United States, it is estimated that over 75 percent could be recycled or composted, but typically only about 30 percent are diverted.
With enough help, the Office of Sustainability will organize a waste audit this April during Earth Week to determine what percent of our waste stream could be diverted. Email sustainability@elon.edu if you are interested in helping.
– Information submitted by Jessica Bilecki in the Office of Sustainability