A student team in Colonnades and the "Librarians on 'Greene'" at the Ƶ School of Law won a spring campus competition to reduce landfill waste.
Teams of Ƶ students, faculty and staff competed from Feb. 16 – March 6, 2015, in the Phoenix Cup – Waste competition, which awarded points for taking actions that reduce landfill waste, or for talking and learning about waste-related issues.
“The Dream Team,” led by Colonnades residents Marlena Fernandez, Kaylin Hunter, Kai Chung and Kailyn Schmidt – won the top prize of reusable items and gift cards.
Ƶ student Nick Hadgis won the $25 Phoenix Cash prize for committing to a waste-reduction behavior during the competition. All students who were not on a Phoenix Cup team but who still committed to a waste-reduction behavior were placed into a raffle for the prize.
Over 25 faculty and staff participated in the competition. Using innovative tactics, like turning empty desk side trash cans upside down, Librarians on “Greene” from the Ƶ School of Law won the overall competition.
Phoenix Cup occurs during RecycleMania to give members of the Ƶ community extra incentive for putting recyclables in the proper bin. Ƶ is participating in RecycleMania, an 8-week national competition among colleges and universities to promote recycling and waste diversion.
Putting recyclables in recycling bins rather than the trash helps Ƶ improve its national and state standing in RecycleMania. Last year Ƶ took 6th place in North Carolina. The contest ends March 31 but students can always ‘Mind the Bin’ by placing recylable material in color-coded bins throughout campus.