NSU’s Green Sharks will host Recyclemania from Feb. 5 to March 31 campuswide. Recyclemania is a friendly competition between colleges and universities in the US and Canada with the goal of improving recycling and reducing waste on campus. Each college will measure how much they recycle every week, and then compare to the other participants.
Green Sharks will also host a series of events in tandem with Recyclemania. On Monday, Feb. 5, there will be a Sustainability Walk and Ride around Gold Circle lake from 6-8 p.m., in collaboration with Public Safety Department and Longboard Club. In addition, a DIY dog toy making event will be held on Feb. 17 with the Pre-vet club, a Sustainability 101 presentation will be held on Feb. 19 and a spring cleaning initiative will begin on March 2. Green Sharks will also have a booth at Community Fest on Feb. 10.
“It’s really important because we really want to encourage recycling and sustainability on our campus,” said Megan Knights, sustainability coordinator for NSU and vice president of Green Sharks. “Right now we’re kind of lacking in that. Last year, we recycled about 60 thousand tons, which isn’t that much compared to other universities — we ranked almost last.”
Green Sharks is hoping that by dedicating a period of time to promoting sustainable initiatives like this one, the NSU community will be more conscious in their efforts to help the environment.
“This year, we’re really trying, first of all, to teach people what you can recycle and encourage them to do so,” said Alexis Good, president of Green Sharks. According to Good, NSU only has a 10-12 percent recycling rate.
The goal of Recyclemania isn’t just to increase recycling on campuses, but to spread awareness.
“We’re the generation that’s growing up to be the leaders of the country as well as the world,” said Good, “and we need to focus on how we can maintain our world, how we can keep it.”
Even if a student doesn’t know much about sustainability or the environment, Green Sharks said there are still ways to make an impact. By going to their events and presentations, anyone can learn how to protect our planet and ensure our future is healthy and safe.
For more information, visit Green Shark on NSU’s OrgSync, email them at NSURecyclemania@gmail.com or go to recyclemania.org.
