In honor of the International Day of Climate Action, the FAMU Green Coalition is hosting the 350 Bottle Challenge, a contest to collect 3,500 plastic bottles between not and homecoming week.
Campus dormitories and student organizations will compete to see which group can collect the most recyclable plastic bottles. The winning group will receive $100.
International Day of Climate Action is Oct. 24. People around the world will be staging events to highlight the need for action to address global climate change. There will also be events hosted throughout Florida.
“350 is the magic number,” said Kiara Wright, 21, fourth-year magazine production student from Alexandria, Va., and the president of the FAMU Green Coalition. Scientists have determined that the Earth can sustain 350 parts per million and maintain human life as we know it. [Did she say this? If not, where did this info come from?]
“Unfortunately, we’re at about 390 ppm and rising,” Wright said. [What is ppm?]Students in dormitories or in student organizations wishing to participate in the competition should bring empty recyclable plastic bottles to the table set up in front of the School of Journalism & Graphic Communication between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. Monday through Friday, Oct. 12-23.
When a group brings donated bottles to be counted, this serves as entry into the competition. The bottles will be counted, added to a group’s total and then recycled by the City of Tallahassee. The winning team will be announced Oct. 26.
There will also be daily updates on the groups entered into the contest and the amount of bottles they have donated. Each group is encouraged to enter at least 350 bottles into the contest.
“Americans throw away 2.5 million plastic bottles each hour,” said Kokeeta McLendon, 21, fourth-year business major from Washington and vice president of the Coalition. “We only recycle about one in eight plastic bottles that could be recycled. That’s shameful.”
Plastic bottles that are acceptable include 1-liter soda bottles, plastic juice jugs, 20-ounce soda bottles and shampoo and conditioner bottles. Ice cream tubs, yogurt containers, and wide mouth containers are not acceptable.
Groups are encouraged to bring clean plastic bottles. Individuals may also donate plastic bottles, and donate their bottles to a group that is entered into the contest. Groups must be registered organizations on campus or dormitories.
“Hopefully this will encourage more people to recycle on campus, as well as get excited about 350,” said Nelly Kanga, 18, a pre-pharmacy student from Tallahassee and member of the Coalition. ” I’m excited about homecoming, but 350 is the way to go.”
To learn more about International Day of Climate Action, visit www.350.org or www.famugreencoalition.com. For questions about participating in the Bottle Challenge, call 850-599-8322.