Acorn

If you�ve been opening the e-mails from me recently, you�ve already seen the great strides that we�ve been making in Recyclemania. This is great news, not only for our status against other universities, but for the change our community has already made in our recycling program and the way we think about and waste.

We�ve consistently moved up in the rankings, reaching 15th place last week for the amazing amount of bottles and cans we collected per person � over 3 lbs. for each of us � moving up several positions in the past three weeks and achieving a week seven average of 6.85 lbs. of total recyclables per person, in comparison to our week one average of 2.54 lbs.

Though we started out near the bottom in the �Grand Champion� recycling rate category, which measures how much of our potential recyclables are actually getting recycled, we are making strides and flying past the competition. Our waste minimization numbers are also significantly improved from the outset of the competition. Drew students are throwing away less and recycling more than they were just a few short weeks ago.

I�ve been amazed and inspired by the support this program has received. To give just a few examples, I�ve gotten many e-mails and had many conversations with students who mentioned problems with their own access to recycling bins. We�ve been able to remedy those situations, ordering new bins and moving existing ones to better locations, thanks to the dedication of Facilities Resource Management. Students have volunteered to become �trash-pickers� in their residence halls, armed with the gloves we provide them, and determined to help stop contamination of recycling bins with carelessly disposed trash.

The VRC has helped us to start a monthly on-campus clean-up program, which this month also included trash-picking of community recycling and garbage bins. Senior Ben Weisman let me know the other day that he brought recyclable office paper from work because they don�t have a good recycling program there, and he wanted to help boost our numbers!

All around the campus, people are talking recycling, and it�s music to my ears.

In these last three weeks of the competition, we need to keep up all the work we�ve been doing as a community and go one step further to show what we can do to the Recyclemania competition. Our fellow New Jersey universities may have the resources for more developed recycling programs, but we have a powerful sense of community support that can�t be equaled.

If each of us can just do our part to be more mindful of the things that we consume, throw away and recycle, these last three weeks can be our most impressive yet.

There are a few areas where we can still improve significantly. You may have noticed some signs in classrooms in BC and Hall of Sciences reminding people not to throw recyclables in the small trash bins located in most classrooms. If you bring a water bottle or another drink to class, it�s only a few more steps out into the hallway, where recycling bins wait eagerly� as eagerly as recycling bins possibly can wait. The recycling and trash bins outside are also a typical site where half-eaten sandwiches and perfectly recyclable glass bottles fraternize in the same bag way more than they need.

Take a moment to make sure the bin you�re using is the appropriate one. If you feel that a particular area is inconveniently lacking in recycling or trash bins, don�t hesitate to let us know. If you�d like to become one of our dedicated student trash-pickers for your residence hall, let us know and we can provide you with gloves.

At Fern Fest, our annual Earth Day celebration, we�ll have a lot to celebrate. The improvements we continue to make in our final recycling numbers are something of which we should be extremely proud. I encourage everyone to come out on April 20 to the University Center lawn, plant some ferns, enjoy some great music and participate in a sustainable Drew event, complete with a multitude of compost and recycling bins.

Cutting back on unnecessary waste that ends up in landfills, scattered on the ground or floating in the water may only be one piece of the environmental puzzle, but it�s a positive step that we�ve been able to make this semester. I hope we can participate in this contest for years to come and continue to be a positive role model for other university communities. Again, if anyone has any questions, comments or concerns, please e-mail me at lcelebre@drew.edu. Results are updated weekly, posted on http://www.recyclemaniacs.org, and will be sent out in weekly e-mails.

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