Contact: Maridith Geuder
STARKVILLE, Miss.--Football game days at Mississippi State are getting greener this fall thanks to a new initiative developed by the athletic department and the university's Environmental Collaborative Office.
Called "Keep It Clean: Green Game Day, Sustainable Season," the effort encourages Bulldog fans and visitors to reaffirm existing efforts to maintain a sportsmanlike atmosphere and to be responsible for picking up tailgating trash. For the first time, fans also are being invited to participate in recycling aluminum, plastic and glass.
"Our fans have shown over time that they're a big part of creating a great game day experience at Mississippi State," said athletic director Greg Byrne. "We're excited about this new collaboration that heightens our commitment to stewardship when thousands of people are on our campus for home games."
Byrne said "'Keep It Clean' reinforces our commitment to providing the best college football experience possible throughout the season."
While many universities charge tailgating fees to defray the costs of extensive post-game cleanups, MSU does not, Byrne observed. The school depends on fans to do their part by bagging tailgate trash and recycling whenever possible, he added.
Typically, maroon and white trash receptacles are located throughout campus on game weekends. For the first time this year, green recycling boxes also will be provided by MSU's ECO and the Mississippi Department of Transportation and Waste Management.
"We've added more structure to our recycling effort, and we anticipate the additional planning and outreach to pay off," said ECO director Jeremiah Dumas. "The MSU family is committed to being a good steward of resources, and recycling is one way to do that. We want recycling to be a simple part of everyone's game day routine."
Columbus-based Triangle Maintenance Service provides football game day recycling for the university.
More additional information about campus recycling or "Keep It Clean" is available at www.eco.msstate.edu.
Up-to-date game day information may be obtained at www.mstateathletics.com/gameday/
NEWS EDITORS/DIRECTORS: For more information, contact Mr. Dumas at 662-325-0216 or jdumas@finadmin.msstate.edu.
For more information about Mississippi State University, see http://www.msstate.edu/.