This spring, a record number of students, faculty and staff competed to reduce landfill waste.
Congratulations are in order for the winners of the spring Phoenix Cup, a three-week series of competitions aimed at helping Elon students, faculty and staff learn ways to reduce their impact while earning prizes at the same time.
The spring competition, Phoenix Cup Waste, focused on reducing landfill waste. Participants competed for grand prizes like Eno hammocks, portable solar chargers, Phoenix Cash and more. Winners were chosen based on points earned from weekly checklists as well as attendance at events designed to help them learn more about reducing waste.
This semester’s competition occurred from Feb. 12 through March 2 and had a record-breaking 265 participants. Phoenix Cup Waste student winner, Azzurra Catucci, attended numerous events including a Loy Farm Tour and Composting Workshop. Catucci said her favorite part of the competition was the events. “I love [how Phoenix Cup brings] together the campus community to encourage and promote eco-friendly practices and it is wonderful to see the growing interest and dedication to sustainability at Elon,” Catucci said.
Second place winner Carmen Margiotta enjoyed the events as well as the weekly prizes. “The weekly prizes incentivize student, faculty and staff to participate while at the same time function as a way to make campus more environmentally friendly,” she said. This semester’s prizes included reusable stainless steel straws, reusable water bottles and reusable bags.
Student winners included Azzurra Catucci, Carmen Margiotta and Julia Needham. Faculty/Staff winners were Barb Carlton, Emily Krechel and Janet Myers. Faculty and staff also had the option to compete as a team, and the reigning champions "Librarians on Greene" continued their winning streak. Kivette Hall in the Colonnades Neighborhood had 19 participants, which was the most of any residence hall.
Students, faculty and staff are encouraged to continue to reduce landfill waste by "Minding the Bin" and keeping recyclables and compostables out of the trash.