New initiatives make Penn Relays more sustainable

Penn Relays are going green this year.

The University has implemented new initiatives to “greenify” the Relays, which began Thursday and are continuing today and Saturday. Brochures and programs will use recyclable paper, and recycling bins have been placed in Franklin Field and in the Village and Concourse adjoining the stadium.

This initiative was outlined in the Climate Action Plan in so far as the University wanted to make all events more sustainable, specifically the Penn Relays because “it’s a flagship on campus,” Environmental Sustainability Coordinator Dan Garofalo said.

The major goal of this initiative is to further Penn’s sustainability. Because the University took fourth place in this year’s RecycleMania competition for recycling rate outreach, education and outreach are “now big focuses for us and will act as a constant reminders to recycle,” according to Sustainability Initiatives Associate Sarah-Jane Littleford.

Relays is a three-day event with over 100,000 people attending, which makes it a “great way to reach a lot of people in a lot of different age groups to get the message out about recycling,” according to Assistant Director of Facilities and Operations in Athletics Keith Maurer.

These initiatives will demonstrate Penn’s interest in sustainability so they can “build a culture around the whole campus that supports the goals of the Climate Action Plan,” Garofalo said.

“I think it’s a good effort, what with the Penn Relays being a big commercial event with a lot of the younger generation involved,” said Wharton freshman Brandon Copeland, a defensive lineman for the Penn football team. “That generation gets to see us recycle and take the message from it to be more aware of recycling and the environment as a whole.”

For the first time, there will be 55-gallon recycling containers and 35-gallon recycling bins provided by Coca-Cola in various areas throughout Franklin Field. Normally, each year the turf is covered in recycling bottles that are handed to the athletes as they run, and this year the goal is to collect and recycle a significant portion of them, Maurer said.

Also for the first time, the Relays brochures will be printed on 10-percent post-consumer recycled, council-certified paper that is produced by a company that uses 100-percent renewable energy.

Penn has created a new no-idling policy for buses in order to prevent excess pollution being released into the atmosphere. This policy is particularly important for the Relays because there will be many people being transported in team buses, specifically Diesel buses, and it is “important to try to influence them to make more sustainable choices in transportation,” Garofalo said.

The University will also make information about public transportation options easily available in order to avoid heavy traffic and thus minimize pollution, he added.

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.