Antioch Seattle Triumphs in Recyclemania!

In only its second year of participation in the competition, Antioch University Seattle (AUS) surpassed its 2010 record by winning second place nationally in Recyclemania’s Grand Champion category.   AUS competed with 287 other schools in various categories, and also came in third in Waste Minimization. RecycleMania is a friendly competition and benchmarking tool for college and university recycling programs in the United States and Canada.  RecycleMania helps promote waste reduction activities. Over a 10-week period, schools report recycling and trash data, which are then ranked according to:

• Largest amount of recyclables collected per capita;
• Largest amount of total recyclables;
• Lowest amount of trash per capita;
• Highest recycling rate.

With each week’s reports and rankings, participating schools can watch how their results fluctuate against other schools and use this to rally their campus communities to reduce and recycle more.  The dates for this year’s competition were Sunday, Feb. 6 through Saturday, April 2, 2011. Other participants in Washington State include: Eastern Washington University, Olympic College, Pacific Lutheran University, Seattle Community College-North Campus, Seattle Pacific University, The Evergreen State College, Washington State University and Western Washington State. The winner in the Grand Champion category was California State University at San Marcos, which has won for the last seven years in a row.  Antioch University students have vowed that 2012 will be the year they topple this formidable goliath. The full results are available at: http://www.recyclemaniacs.org/results.aspx Antioch University Seattle has a strong focus on sustainability, and is currently developing a Climate Action Plan with the goal of a carbon neutral campus.  Disclosure:  I am proud to be a founding member of Antioch University Seattle’s Board of Trustees!