The Good Sports Always Recycle™ (GSAR) team is kicking off another season of educating students and involving communities, all while helping the environment.
For the past 17 years, the Good Sports Always Recycle™ program has not only encouraged University of Tennessee fans to recycle their plastic bottles and cups at every UT athletic home game, but also sparked competition among Tennessee schools.
GSAR opened the nomination process for its school recycling challenge, which will go through Sept. 24.  K-12 schools across the state of Tennessee can go to www.Eastman.com/GSAR and nominate their recycling program to be one of 10 schools across the state recognized for their efforts.
 Good Sports Always Recycle™ judges schools on the impact their recycling program has on their community, their new and unique approaches to recycling and waste reduction, their overall environmental efforts, as well as the investments they have made, and will continue to make, in a recycling program.  
“The Department of Environment and Conservation supports recycling and resource conservation efforts and the Good Sports Always Recycle program fits the bill,” said Environment and Conservation Commissioner Jim Fyke.  “From educating students at an early age, to implementing large-scale recycling efforts at UT athletic facilities, the program sets a good example for reducing waste and encouraging recycling.”
Good Sports Always Recycle™ is a joint effort of sponsors representing the life cycle of a plastic bottle, with Eastman Chemical Company, the manufacturer; the Knoxville Coca-Cola Bottling Company, the distributor; FoodCity, the seller; and Waste Connections, the recycler.  
Each year, the top 10 schools win $500 to improve their recycling program, a plaque, and a trip to a University of Tennessee football game, which this year will be played against Alabama on October 23.  At the game, representatives from the winning schools will participate in a one-of-a-kind tailgate party with numerous special guests and will be honored on the field during the game.
Since the start of the program, 160 schools have been recognized for their recycling and environmental programs, and previous winners’ programs represent every aspect of recycling – from everyday paper and plastics to computer parts and cell phones.  
The program resulted in the recycling of more than eight million plastics cups in its first 15 years, and in the UT 2009 football season alone, more than 34 tons of recyclable materials were collected with a goal of 60 tons for 2010.  Because recycling was been such a success at football games, the program expanded its reach to other athletic facilities in 2008, and Vol fans now have the ability to recycle at any athletic event, any time of the year.  
In addition to the school recycling challenge, the Good Sports Always Recycle™ program provides an educational packet (available online at www.eastman.com/gsar) that provides teachers with helpful material to educate students about reducing, reusing and recycling in an effort to help take care of the environment. Suggested lesson plans offer ways to get these efforts started, as well as recycling tips, resources, and program ideas to help boost environmental efforts at school and home. This packet is designed to instruct all grade levels and is divided into elementary, middle and high school lesson plans and activities.
 

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