The Hispanic Latino Ambassadors (HLA) are partnering up with the Tri-Beta Biology Club to host “RecycleMania” to raise awareness about the importance of recycling. Every year there is a National Competition between different universities in the United States and Canada to see who can collect the most items.
This is the first time HLA will host this event, which will take place Feb. 2 through March 28. Their primary focus is to catch students green-handed to make an impact not only at this university, but in the outside world as well.
HLA will be providing incentives for the individuals that help to donate or recycle as many items as possible. Many departments such as biology, geoscience and admissions have already started to donate items to enter in the raffle. At the end of each week, a prize will be given to three individuals that contributed the most during that week.
“The goal is to encourage students to recycle even after the event ends,” said HLA President Janet Garcia. “We are doing the raffle to help motivate students to get active in going green.”
Recycling helps to limit the need of raw materials as well as keep harmful chemicals from being released into the atmosphere. Many of the HLA members will be walking around the campus throughout the day to promote and inform the students about “RecycleMania” and recycling in the future. They will also be carrying around recycling bins to collect items from the students. It only takes a few seconds to donate and make a difference, so why not?
After donating items, the members will take photos of the participants as a thank you for their contribution. These photos will be posted to HLA’s social media accounts to highlight participation efforts.
UWG has many blue recycling bins all around the campus that aren’t being used. Instead of tossing empty water bottles in the trash, toss them into the blue recycling bins. They can be found in the library or different class buildings next to regular trash cans. Each bin is used for specific items. Some of the bins are used primarily for paper and plastic, while others may be used for aluminum cans and things of that nature.
“I hope to create awareness on campus about the delicate situation our planet is in,” said HLA Fundraising Committee Member Andrea Escamillo. “It is so important to recycle, reuse and reduce the waste in our community.”
Although this event is to gather many recyclable items, it’s also a great way to get the students engaged and motivated to help make a change. Many students walk past the bins without even thinking about how something that small can make such a huge impact on our environment.