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GSU Competes in RecycleMania


University Park, IL–(ENEWSPF)– On January 18, Governors State University will compete in RecycleMania – a challenge for colleges and universities to increase awareness of waste reduction and recycling initiatives. GSU’s efforts will focus on overall waste reduction instead of only recycling.

This category is considered a “tangible action” under the Presidents Climate Commitment signed by GSU president, Dr. Elaine P. Maimon, and the presidents of 605 other colleges and universities nationwide. The RecycleMania competition will last for 10 weeks, is strictly voluntary, and is sponsored by the College and University Recycling Council.

“While GSU’s recycling efforts are already well established, we are always seeking new ways to reuse and recycle,” explained Susan Rakstang, Associate Vice President of Facilities Development and Management. “This competition gives us another reason to look at our procedures and processes to find new ways to reduce our overall carbon footprint and trash production.”

Heading up GSU’s participation in this national competition is Peggy Schiesher, GSU’s Supervisor of Housekeeping. “The focus of GSU RecycleMania efforts will include promoting inter-office reusable envelopes for campus mail, replacing paper documents with electronic alternatives wherever possible, and implementing campus printing initiatives, which prohibit or

discourage unlimited printing,” said Schiesher.

The campus community will be made aware of these efforts through email newsletters, personal emails, and electronic message boards. The university’s efforts will be measured by adding the weight of their recyclables plus the weight of their trash and dividing that number by the number of students and employees of GSU.

“We have a very responsible population at GSU who are already committed to recycling,” said Rakstang. “Increasing recycling and reducing trash could win us this competition, but, more importantly, it will certainly lessen our adverse impact on the environment.”


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