Spelman College News
March 7, 2013
Alcoa Foundation Partners with Spelman College for Campus Recycling Initiatives
Alcoa Foundation is partnering with national nonprofit Keep America Beautiful and the College & University Recycling Coalition to provide 75 recycling bins to Spelman College in 2013 as part of the Alcoa Foundation Recycling Bin Grant Program. Spelman is one of 35 colleges and universities in the U.S. receiving a portion of more than 11,500 recycling bins.
The Alcoa Foundation Recycling Bin Grant Program is an effort to help schools boost their recycling results during the eight-week RecycleMania Tournament, and expand their recycling efforts throughout the year. RecycleManiahttp://recyclemaniacs.org/ is a friendly competition that aims to change behavior about recycling and raise awareness about waste reduction programs on college campuses.
The recycling bins will be placed around campus in various locations, including residence halls, academic and administrative buildings, the wellness center and in outdoor public spaces. This year's variety of recycling bins will strengthen Spelman's recycling infrastructure, further diverting recyclables from the waste stream. The Keep America Beautiful partnership further reinforces Alcoa and Alcoa Foundation's commitment to increasing recycling across America.
"It is through partnerships with organizations such as Keep America Beautiful and the Alcoa Foundation that allows us to expand our recycling efforts on campus," said Art Frazier, director, Facilities Management & Services at Spelman. "Recycling not only saves our environment, but also saves money."
During RecycleMania, which concludes on March 31, colleges and universities vie for top awards in nine categories to see which schools recycle the most on a per capita basis, produce the least amount of waste and recycle the largest percentage of their overall waste. In 2012, 605 colleges and universities participated in the challenge, collecting more than 92 million pounds of recyclables and compostable organics.
In 2012, Spelman participated in the per capita challenge, recycling up to 2.6 pounds of commodities per student, per day. The college placed 121, up from 242 in the previous year and diverted more than 50 tons of recyclables from the waste stream.
"Alcoa Foundation has been a true leader in advancing recycling nationwide through its support of its bin grant and other programs," said Matthew M. McKenna, president and CEO of Keep America Beautiful. "Its involvement with RecycleMania and the College and University Recycling Coalition's webinar series has helped to increase recycling on campuses and instill a recycling ethic that college students will carry with them the rest of their lives."
Additionally, the College & University Recycling Coalition (CURC), in partnership with KAB, and the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE), has announced the schedule for its 2013 series of educational webinars, sponsored by Alcoa Foundation.
CURC webinars feature recognized collegiate and industry recycling experts covering a range of topics related to sustainable materials management. All webinars are free to registered participants. For a complete schedule of webinars, go to curc3r.orghttp://www.curc3r.org/.
SANDRA M. PHOENIX
Executive Director
HBCU Library Alliance
sphoenix@hbculibraries.orgmailto:sphoenix@hbculibraries.org
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800-999-8558, ext. 4820
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Skype: sandra.phoenix1
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