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Connecticut College finishes in top 10 in RecycleMania
04/16/2008April 16, 2008
Connecticut College recycled 44.83 pounds per person and 40.36 percent of the solid waste generated on campus during the 10-week national -RecycleMania- competition, earning a spot in the top 10.
The college finished eighth in both the -Grand Champion- portion of the competition, which measures the percentage of the total amount of solid waste recycled on each campus, and in the -Per Capita Classic,- which measures the total amount of recyclables collected per person.
More than 400 schools competed in this year´s competition. Connecticut College finished first among peers in the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC), beating rivals Amherst, Williams, Tufts, Middlebury, Bowdoin and Colby. Connecticut College also edged out Yale, Princeton and Harvard.
Additionally, Connecticut College did well in the targeted material categories, which measure the cumulative pounds of a particular recycled material per person. The college took fourth in the bottles and cans division, recycling an average of 12.93 pounds per person. In the -Food Service Organics- category, which measures food remains, Connecticut College finished sixth, recycling 24.79 pounds per person. The college was 13th in the corrugated cardboard category and 17th in the paper category.
The goal of RecycleMania, which this year ran from Jan. 27 through April 5, is to reduce campus waste disposal and increase campus recycling. This was Connecticut College´s third year in the competition, recycling paper, glass, aluminum, steel and plastics generated on campus. Food remains tallied for the Food Service Organics competition were measured separately.
RecycleMania began in 2001 and is organized and operated by university recycling coordinators and endorsed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency´s WasteWise program, the National Recycling Coalition´s College and University Recycling Council (CURC), and the National Wildlife Federation´s Campus Ecology Program.
A tradition of environmental awareness and caretaking at Connecticut College goes back to 1969, when the college established one of the nation´s first environmental majors, -human ecology,- now called -environmental studies.- The college´s arboretum includes 750 acres of natural areas that are used by faculty and students for environmental research projects and provide an oasis of greenery for the public.
In 1998, Newsweek recognized the college´s Goodwin-Niering Center for Conservation Biology and Environmental Studies as -one of the best environmental studies programs in the United States.- Several years ago, students voted to pay an annual fee to purchase renewable energy credits to offset the college´s annual electricity purchase.
In 2005, the college´s board of trustees approved a new green building policy calling for the college to recycle construction debris and use recycled building materials in new and renovated buildings as well as systems that are energy efficient and use alternative energy sources.
The college finished eighth in both the -Grand Champion- portion of the competition, which measures the percentage of the total amount of solid waste recycled on each campus, and in the -Per Capita Classic,- which measures the total amount of recyclables collected per person.
More than 400 schools competed in this year´s competition. Connecticut College finished first among peers in the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC), beating rivals Amherst, Williams, Tufts, Middlebury, Bowdoin and Colby. Connecticut College also edged out Yale, Princeton and Harvard.
Additionally, Connecticut College did well in the targeted material categories, which measure the cumulative pounds of a particular recycled material per person. The college took fourth in the bottles and cans division, recycling an average of 12.93 pounds per person. In the -Food Service Organics- category, which measures food remains, Connecticut College finished sixth, recycling 24.79 pounds per person. The college was 13th in the corrugated cardboard category and 17th in the paper category.
The goal of RecycleMania, which this year ran from Jan. 27 through April 5, is to reduce campus waste disposal and increase campus recycling. This was Connecticut College´s third year in the competition, recycling paper, glass, aluminum, steel and plastics generated on campus. Food remains tallied for the Food Service Organics competition were measured separately.
RecycleMania began in 2001 and is organized and operated by university recycling coordinators and endorsed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency´s WasteWise program, the National Recycling Coalition´s College and University Recycling Council (CURC), and the National Wildlife Federation´s Campus Ecology Program.
A tradition of environmental awareness and caretaking at Connecticut College goes back to 1969, when the college established one of the nation´s first environmental majors, -human ecology,- now called -environmental studies.- The college´s arboretum includes 750 acres of natural areas that are used by faculty and students for environmental research projects and provide an oasis of greenery for the public.
In 1998, Newsweek recognized the college´s Goodwin-Niering Center for Conservation Biology and Environmental Studies as -one of the best environmental studies programs in the United States.- Several years ago, students voted to pay an annual fee to purchase renewable energy credits to offset the college´s annual electricity purchase.
In 2005, the college´s board of trustees approved a new green building policy calling for the college to recycle construction debris and use recycled building materials in new and renovated buildings as well as systems that are energy efficient and use alternative energy sources.





