Appalachian State University
ER-2: Student Sustainability Outreach Campaign

ASU Recycles, in collaboration with several other campus departments, develops and implements the 'Recycle At The Rock' program. On game days, tailgaters are asked to utilize green recyclable bags to collect their bottles, cans and clean cardboard from their tailgating site. Once full, these are left behind and Appalachian State staff collect the bags from the tailgate lots to be recycled. Volunteers assist ASU Recycles staff with the distribution of these bags. In addition, over 75 recycling bins are placed throughout the stadium area on game days, and the recycling left behind in the stadium is also separated out by a contracted clean-up crew as well.

Education and outreach is one of the keys to the success of this campaign. Through this campaign, we have been able to utilize our volunteers to educate students, faculty, staff, alumni, and community members about the importance of waste reduction, recycling, and sustainability. Not only do our game day volunteers have the opportunity to outreach while distributing the bags, but our student interns have the opportunity to outreach to many classes while recruiting for volunteers. There is also a massive training effort involved with our volunteers prior to game day as well. Before this campaign began, all the recycling from tailgating and the stadium was thrown away. We have diverted over 9 tons of material from the landfill each year for the past two years. In addition, we have been able to reach an audience of thousands at every home game.