Keep America Beautiful Announces Iowa School Recycling Champion
Davenport, IA - First place in Iowa in a nationwide school recycling competition recently went to Central High School in Davenport, where students recycled 14 pounds of material per person, earning $1,000 in school prize money.
"Central has always been dedicated to recycling, but I knew there was still room to improve. I saw this competition as a way to motivate my peers to think about the impact of how they choose to dispose of materials they use. Central was successful in this competition because students and staff were willing to come together to make recycling a priority," said Daphne Cornish, co-leader of the school's Environmental Club.
Recycle-Bowl is a comprehensive, nationwide recycling competition for elementary-, middle- and high-school students. The competition, which reached more than 900,000 students across America with schools in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, is facilitated by Keep America Beautiful (www.kab.org), the nation's leading nonprofit that brings people together to build and sustain vibrant communities. Recycle-Bowl is sponsored by Nestlé Waters North America (NWNA).
"I couldn't be more proud of the Environmental Club," said Gail Heninger, the Central High School teacher who supervises the club. "I think all the members would agree with me that we've been lucky to have senior Daphne Cornish as co-leader this year. Daphne not only excels academically, but she has used her time and talents to benefit her school and her community. She's amazing! It is through the efforts of students like Daphne and her Environmental Club peers that we see a cleaner, brighter future for the environment here in the Quad-Cities–and beyond."
Environmental Club members will be recognized Thursday, April 4 with a pizza party at the Scott Area Recycling Center, 5640 Carey Ave., Davenport. Media is invited to the event from 12:30 to 1:15 p.m.
Central High School's recycling efforts are supported locally by iLivehere (www.ilivehereqc.org), a Quad-Cities Keep America Beautiful affiliate housed by Waste Commission of Scott County (www.wastecom.com), which operates the Scott Area Recycling Center.
From Oct. 15 through Nov. 9, 2012, schools participating in Recycle-Bowl recycled as much as possible. The total amount of recyclables recovered during the 2012 competition added up to 4.5 million pounds, which in turn prevented the release of nearly 1,717 metric tons of carbon equivalent (MTCE). In real-world terms, this reduction in greenhouse gases is equivalent to the annual emissions from 334 passenger cars.
If all students in America recycled at the rate of this year's Recycle-Bowl competitors, approximately 2.4 million tons of material would be diverted annually from landfills. That would be the weight of 201,135 school buses.
"Keep America Beautiful is pleased with the great momentum Recycle-Bowl achieved in its second year, and our congratulations go out not just to Central High School, but to all the effort of students, teachers and school administrators across America," said Matt McKenna, president and CEO of Keep America Beautiful.
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