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Volunteers in the Tampa Bay Group's Stadium Recycling Initiative at a recent game. |
Tampa Bay's stadium recycling lead volunteer David Varrieur submitted the application on
behalf of the Tampa Bay Group. The application basically stated: “This
is the Tampa Bay Sierra Club's Stadium Recycling
Initiative. It's the first NFL recycling program started in 1990. We have 20
volunteers @ 2 hours per event for all events. 120 minutes per person per event.
2,400 minutes per person annually. 48,000 minutes annually as a group. We
recycled with Jack Groh (Director of the NFL Environmental Program) for
Superbowl XLIII.”
Thousands of
entries were submitted from all over the United States. But only one could be
featured on the prestigious “20 million milestone reached!” section of the NFL
Huddle for 100 website. That one is the Tampa Bay Sierra Club Group. The effort encourages game, event and concert attendees to recycle on the spot and at home. Kudos to everyone involved in this amazing accomplishment!
To see the NFL acknowledgement of the Tampa Bay volunteers, click the link below scroll to the “20 million milestone
reached!” section.
The Stadium Recycling Initiative works like
this:
Prior to the start of each stadium event, Sierra Club volunteers act as event day educational ambassadors. They encourage spectators to recycle using the recycling stations located both in and out of the stadium. A typical event will include 20 volunteers dressed in Sierra Club shirts. They stand at recycling stations at entry gates around the stadium, thanking guests for supporting the Sierra Club recycling program.
This season, volunteers expanded into the
parking lots and adjacent streets picking up plastic, aluminum and glass
containers to bring back and deposit into the stadium recycling bins. Their
efforts have resulted in collecting thousands of tons of recycled materials
annually that may have ended up in incinerators.
After their shift,
the volunteers are compensated by free entry into the event and they sit in the
employee seating areas around the stadium. The Sierra Club Tampa Bay Group is
compensated financially per event. This program is continuously the single
largest annual fundraiser for them.
The Stadium
Recycling Initiative continues to be an incredible recycling success story for
the Tampa Bay community and fundraiser for the Tampa Bay Group. This season events include the Gasparilla Bowl, the Outback Bowl, the first XFL game
and WrestleMania. The volunteers are also hopeful that the group will be invited
to work the Superbowl in 2021.
Interested in joining the team? Contact David Varrieur at AppraiserAndRealtor@gmail.com to volunteer for this great community
program.