Salisbury University got a little greener on Wednesday afternoon as the community came together for the semi-annual Recycle Madness event.
The goal of Recycle Madness is to have each SU club donate a total of 75 pounds of recyclables in an effort to promote a greener and more sustainable campus, but students are encouraged to donate as much as possible.
The event, which hauled in approximately 6,000 pounds of recyclable material last semester, reached new heights with nearly 15,000 pounds of recyclable material collected.
Director of Sustainability for SU's Student Government Association Jessica Hennen has been the main organizer for all of the Earth Week activities, and she feels events like Recycle Madness are essential to keep on campus.
“I plan on keeping it every semester, as long as I can,” Hennen said.
Recycle Madness is a semi-annual event hosted by SU's SGA. Members of the community bring in recyclables to donate. They are weighed on an industrial scale, and the weight is counted toward a club or organization of their choosing.
Clubs and organizations that exceed 75 pounds of recyclable material donated can count this as a recognized event. Hennen said that 59 of the 126 clubs and organizations on campus donated to the event.
SU student Zarena Thomas donated her recyclables to Respiratory Therapy Club. She noted the convenience of the event as a reason to participate.
“It helps sustain the earth,” Thomas said. “Plus, it isn’t that much of a hassle to bring recycling in.”
SU student and member of Respiratory Therapy Club Miranda Ludwigsen donated her recyclables to Phi Mu, a campus sorority.
Ludwigsen emphasized how easy the process was given the circumstances of the campus-wide event.
“I feel like it’s pretty simple, because everyone has recycling,” Ludwigsen said. “It’s a big campus, so a lot of recycling can get done.”
Hennen said that the nice weather was a key factor in the increased participation this semester. She said the sunshine and the ability to play music helped to draw more people in than last semester.
This semester, the event also ran from noon to 5 p.m. rather than noon to 4 p.m. Hennen said she felt this gave more people the opportunity to come out and donate.
With the increased success of the event this semester, Hennen stressed the importance of being aware and helping to sustain the environment as key factors in organizing this event.
“It’s important to raise awareness about climate change,” Hennen said, “But also, just to show the importance of recycling and how easy it is to make a small change that will impact the world a lot.”
By NICK LEWIS
Staff writer
Featured photo: Amy Wojtowicz graphic.
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