November 14 – Fighting Illini Men's Basketball vs. Monmouth
America Recycles Day, also referred to as National Recycling Day, is the signature recycling program of the national nonprofit organization Keep America Beautiful. It is observed each year nationally on November 15. In honor of this national observation, the Division of Intercollegiate Athletics; the Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment; Facilities & Services: and Coca-Cola are partnered for the November 14 men’s basketball game to:
1) Directly impact iCAP Objective 5.2, “reduce the total campus waste going to landfills from 5,049 tons in FY19 to 4,544 tons or less in FY24, which is a decrease of at least 10%,”
2) Increase public awareness for campus recycling and the iCAP, and
3) Encourage behavior change among basketball game attendees when they are presented with the opportunity to recycle.
The partners pursued a four-fold approach at State Farm Center:
- Establishing recycling infrastructure within the facility.
- Instigating public education and engagement initiatives during the game via volunteer-attendee interaction and recycling signage.
- Integrating student involvement into the core event operations.
- Pursuing community outreach and publicity ahead of the event.
Because of the efforts of student volunteers and fans, 280 pounds of recyclable material was diverted from the landfill, or approximately 11 percent of the event's waste stream. Thanks to everyone across campus that helps support this initiative.