FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. –The Pepsi Dream Machine competition on the University of Arkansas campus is still underway and the UA is sitting in second place.
This national competition is sponsored by Pepsi to encourage college campuses to improve their recycling efforts.
“The UA has seen a 111 percent increase from 2014. Considering the UA is a large school and most of the other schools that are in the top five are fairly small, that is incredible,” said Kenneth Hamilton, Director of Sustainability for the Residents’ Interhall Congress.
In addition to promoting recycling, the competition also raises funds for a national charity.
For each bottle and can deposited into the Dream Machine, Pepsi donates funds to the Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans with Disabilities (EBV), said Hamilton.
The EBV helps veterans who have suffered injuries on the field of battle to develop business development skills. The goal was to combine this cause with recycling, creating a win-win situation.
The Dream Machines are located on the first floor of the Arkansas Union and right outside of the east doors when entering the Union.
Pepsi offers awards to the top three schools in the national competition. First prize is $25,000 toward a concert, second place receives $15,000 toward a campus wide pizza party, and third place receives free Pepsi drinks and refills during finals week.
In addition, the UA Office for Sustainability is hosting a social media contest and is giving away free Pepsi merchandise. Students, faculty and staff can win a prize by posting a photo of themselves to Instagram using the dream machine and tagging #DreamMachine in the post.
Prizes, including, t-shirts, sweatshirts and hats, may be picked up at the Office of Sustainability located at 238 Harmon Ave. The Pepsi Dream Machine competition ends March 31.
Contact Kenneth Hamilton at ricsus@uark.edu with questions about the Dream Machine Competition.
By Karlee Pruitt, Agricultural Communications Experiential Learning Lab Reporter