If you’re a Laker football fan, you might’ve noticed something different in Lubbers Stadium. Along the perimeter of the field, near the concession stands, and up in the suites and visitor boxes you’ll find color-coded barrels with helpful volunteers standing by. For the second year in a row, we’re trying to make every home football game zero-waste – meaning as much trash as possible is either recycled or composted instead of being sent to a landfill.

To understand the magnitude of all that’s been done, take a look at the numbers from last year. During the 2013 home football game season:

• 2,041 lbs. of trash was recycled;
• 2,011 lbs. of trash was composted; and
• 1,661 lbs. of trash was sent to the landfill.

Thanks to nearly 200 volunteers during the 2013 season, more than 70 percent of waste from these games was saved from sitting in a landfill. Not only was this a huge success for waste management on campus, but it also gave seven Registered Student Organizations the opportunity to serve together and promote their group.

What started as an initiative is now becoming commonplace. Every home football game this season is also striving to be zero-waste. A variety of student groups have signed up to sponsor each game, including: the Panhellenic Association, Student Environmental Coalition, Student Nursing Association and the Pre-Professional group. Many of these groups don’t have an obvious connection to sustainable initiatives on campus but have taken an interest in these efforts anyway. For the Panhellenic Association, community service is a major part of their group’s mission and as a result of their hard work, a 62 percent diversion rate was achieved at Sept. 13^th’s game.

Support and visibility of GVSU’s zero-waste activities has grown and continues to grow, but we still need more people to get involved. Homecoming is right around the corner and volunteers are needed to help with the zero-waste efforts during the alumni activities before the football game on Oct. 11^th. Students, staff and faculty members are welcome to volunteer with us. Volunteers are needed to work from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. and in return will receive a complimentary meal and any proceeds from returnable cans, if desired.

If you’re interested in volunteering or have any questions about zero-waste efforts on campus, please contact Kimberly Schoetzow, Graduate Assistant in the Office of Sustainability Practices, at [email protected] or 331-7366. Thank you to all of the staff members and student volunteers who make this possible.   

By the Office of Sustainability Practices