Last year nearly 83% of all game day waste was diverted from landfills during the University of Arkansas’ v. Auburn football game. This diversion rate was reported in the Environmental Protection Agency’s Game Day Challenge. The University of Arkansas placed 8th in the nation and first in the SEC during the friendly competition. Recycling at athletic events is a great way to advance sustainability measures that directly affect our campus.
Well, you might ask, why are we so ambitious in trying to achieve zero waste on the one day campus has a huge number of visitors in our community? Not only does this initiative help us reach the University of Arkansas’ commitment of becoming a zero waste campus by 2021, but this is an opportunity to educate thousands of fans. The article “Greener Sports Raises Public Awareness,” published by the University of Pennsylvania, sums up the importance of sports sustainability.
In the article Martin Tull, the executive director of the Green Sports Alliance states, “Every time the fan touches that cup and then has to make a choice about where it goes, you’re normalizing the behavior that recycling is responsible, and should be done throughout the community,” Tull says. “If you experience these types of conservation efforts in person at a sports venue, it starts to feel like that is becoming more the norm. I think that can be a really powerful point of inspiration for people.”
Allen Hershkowitz, a representative from Natural Resources Defense Council noted, “We need a cultural shift in the way people think about the planet, We need a cultural shift in attitudes and expectations about our relationship to the earth. And cultural shifts occur not because governments lead the way, but because people connect with trusted networks, people they believe and trust. Sports is one of those trusted networks.”
Help the University of Arkansas become the first college in the SEC to reach zero waste by volunteering on game day.
All volunteers will:
- Educate for 1.5 hours before kickoff
- Sort during the game
- Sort for 1 hour after the game
Estimated volunteer time is 5-6 hours total
Volunteers will be required to attend a 30 minute training session Thursday or Friday before the event. Volunteers are expected to promote recycling for the entire time and will not receive incentives of free food, t-shirts, gift cards, and door prizes if found participating in other tailgating activities. Gloves for sorting will be provided, but we advise you dress in long pants and long sleeved t-shirts.
Email khdeross@email.uark.edu or rmoore@bmswd.com with any questions.