RECYCLEMANIA COMES TO THE ATLANTA UNIVERSITY CENTER

ATLANTA (Jan. 25, 2012) -- Got stuff? On Saturday, Feb. 4, Spelman College along with other Atlanta University Center Consortium institutions will happily collect it from you as they kickoff the 2012 RecycleMania tournament. To jumpstart their participation in RecycleMania, which runs from Sunday, Feb. 5 through Saturday, March 31, Spelman, Morehouse College, Morehouse School of Medicine, Clark Atlanta University, and the Interdenominational Theological Center will partner for RecycleMania Day to collect recyclable materials – paper, plastics, cans, cardboard, glass, cell phones and computer monitors.

In a show of support for RecycleMania Day and to help promote waste reduction, Gwendolyn Keyes Fleming, Region 4 Regional Administrator, Environmental Protection Agency, and representatives from the city of Atlanta Mayor’s Office of Sustainability will be in attendance. The event will also include a live radio broadcast by WCLK, Jazz 91.9 FM.

After the joint kickoff event, the five AUC institutions will begin an eight-week competition against each other and more than 600 other colleges and universities nationwide and in Canada to see which campus can reduce, reuse and recycle the most waste. The eight-week tournament is preceded by two pre-season reporting weeks that began Jan. 22. Schools will be ranked in eight categories, including the largest amount of total recyclables, the least amount of trash per capita, and the highest recycling rate. Top schools in each category earn “bragging rights,” while the winners of each are recognized with an award made of recycled glass.

At the heart of Spelman College’s tagline, “A Choice to Change the World,” is the understanding that making a positive social impact, means ensuring the health of the environment for future generations. Participating in the annual RecycleMania tournament, a friendly competition and benchmarking tool, provides Spelman and other institutions an opportunity to build and expand waste reduction programs on their campuses. In 2011, 630 colleges and universities nationwide recovered 91 million pounds of organic and recyclable materials during RecycleMania. This prevented the release of nearly 127,553 metric tons of carbon dioxide. This reduction in greenhouse gases is equivalent to the annual emissions from more than 25,000 passenger cars.

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Spelman College

Founded in 1881, Spelman College is a prestigious, highly selective, liberal arts college that prepares women to change the world. Located in Atlanta, Ga., this historically black college boasts an 83 percent graduation rate, and outstanding alumnae such as Children's Defense Fund Founder Marian Wright Edelman; former U.S. Foreign Service Director General Ruth Davis; authors Tina McElroy Ansa and Pearl Cleage; and actress LaTanya Richardson. More than 85 percent of the full-time faculty members have Ph.D.s or other terminal degrees, and the average faculty to student ratio is 11:1. Approximately 2,100 students attend Spelman. Spelman College has been ranked as the number one HBCU for five consecutive years by U.S. News & World Report; number 62 among Best Liberal Arts Colleges by U.S. News & World Report; and 12th for Best Career Services by The Princeton Review. For more information, visit: www.spelman.edu.