OSU students show how "Real Cowboys Recycle"

Monday, October 19, 2009

By Celeste Cash

(Stillwater, OK  October 19, 2009) -- Before and after each home football game, you’ll find members of the Sustainability Committee at OSU picking up and sorting through thousands of aluminum cans. They’re volunteers in a program called “Real Cowboys Recycle,” which has been a big success this year, according to Jesi Lay, chair of the committee and a senior biosystems engineering major from Tulsa.

After four home games, the committee has already gathered 271 30-gallon bags of aluminum cans. Despite the many hours donated for can collection, the committee itself does not profit from the program. Instead, every can goes to Habitat for Humanity, which receives the cash for recycling them. “All that money goes strictly toward building more houses, as a part of their Cans for Habitat program,” Lay said.

Though many may still be unaware of the program, members of the committee are at every game. They go around to tailgate parties in small groups, passing out bags for the cans. Unfortunately, some fans think the bags are for trash collection, so members must often sort through each and every bag. The job is not glamorous, but they enjoy knowing it’s for a good cause.

“This year has been really successful,” said Rachel Branch, a junior biochemistry and molecular biology major from Guthrie, who serves as  vice chair of the committee. “It’s fun. Every year people get better about just putting cans in their bags, or just recyclables in general and not using them for trash.”

In addition to the tailgate recycling program, the committee also promotes sustainability at OSU with “Real Pokes Pass it On,” a project that started last spring and was very successful. The goal is to cut down on the amount of items that get thrown away when students move out after spring semester.

Members of the sustainability committee let students know that they can bring any item they no longer want, including furniture, clothing, small trinkets, and more, to a specific site on campus. They also hosted a pick up day, where they retrieved larger items that students were unable to transport. The items were stored over the summer, and then sold in a “thrift store” type atmosphere the week before school started.

This fall, the thrift store sale raised more than $1,700, which was donated to the Stillwater Domestic Violence Shelter. All of the left over items were also donated. They are planning to continue the program this year.