The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Student-athletes orchestrate new recycling effort for UT Athletics
09.23.2009 | Texas Athletics, Bleed Orange. Live Green.
Sept. 23, 2009
- Hook 'em, Horns H-E-B style with the new fall edition of the H-E-B Texas Longhorns reusable bag
AUSTIN, Texas -- Former Texas Soccer standout and Student-Athlete Advisory Council (SAAC) president Stephanie Logterman remembers watching as the empty Gatorade bottles mounted up inside the garbage bins at UT Athletics training facilities.
"Just unbelievable," Logterman says.
Logterman and some of her SAAC friends decided to do something about it. Women's Track and Field student-athletes Larkin Geyer, Lauren Salisbury and Jessica Heath put together a recycling campaign that was brought into action last February at the Clinton Global Initiative.
Together, they all worked to make it a local one, as well.
Logterman's main focus as SAAC president was to incorporate more student-athletes into UT Student Government, and through that connection the student-athletes learned more about campus-wide recycling efforts.
While initiatives like the Longhorns Recycling Round-up promote recycling at UT Athletics events, Logterman and the other SAAC officers wanted recycling to occur more readily in day-to-day operations. New for the 2009-10 seasons, student-athletes are continuing that mission with "Longhorns Go Green."
Recycling bins have been placed in the academic study center, as well in the main training center. In addition, track and field athletes are donating their worn-down training shoes through Nike's Reuse-a-Shoe program.
"We want to recycle everything that we can," Logterman said. "It's like training -- people just need to get into that mindset. Recycling should become a habit, and we want student-athletes to learn what can only go in trash bins, and for everything else, find a recycling bin."
H-E-B, a corporate sponsor for UT Athletics, generously donated "Hooked on Recycling" reusable bags for all student-athletes. These bags were handed out at orientation last month, and represent a symbol of the partnership between H-E-B and UT Athletics and their respective commitments to the local environment and community.
"The Student-Athlete Advisory Council found its voice on campus by participating in Student Government events and then creating its own sustainability initiative," said Randa Ryan, UT Senior Associate Athletics Director for Student Services.
"I am so impressed with the student leadership on campus and within SAAC. `Longhorns Go Green' is a testament to that."
