COLLEGE PARK, Md. - Maryland Athletics is launching an aggressive recycling program for home sporting events this year, part of a campus-wide initiative "Creating a Greener University" spearheaded by President Dan Mote.

Starting with the first home football game of the season on Saturday, Maryland Athletics will conduct the following activities:

• Place 18 custom 150-gallon recycling and trash containers in and around Chevy Chase Bank Field at Byrd Stadium to collect bottles/cans, compost and trash;
• Place 11 custom 100-gallon recycling and trash containers at stadium entrances to collect bottles/cans and trash;
• Place 410 portable recycling and trash containers in tailgating areas, walkways and garages all over campus;
• Distribute 140,000 recycling and trash liners to tailgaters in parking lots;
• Distribute 5,000 promotional items to students and fans at a select home football game to promote the program;
• Implement a recycling valet vehicle in select parking lots.

"Maryland Athletics is extremely excited about launching `Feed the Turtle' as a pilot program for the rest of campus," said Cheryl Levick, Executive Senior Associate Athletics Director. "We are committed to the President's sustainability initiatives and look forward to rolling out the program to 50,000 of the best football fans in the country."

The "Feed the Turtle" recycling program has several objectives:

• Improve upon the 21.3 tons of commingled bottles and cans from 2007 season to at least 35 tons in 2008 season;
• Collect 15 tons of compostable material in 2008 season;
• Measure total quantity of solid waste and recycled corrugated cardboard from 2008 football season - establish baselines;
• Extrapolate total potential waste diversion if program expanded to all Athletic department venues.

In spring of 2007, President Mote signed the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment, and established the Office of Sustainability, initiated a greenhouse gas inventory report, formed a climate action workgroup and issued a strategic plan with sustainability as a core value.

The goals of these actions are: 1) Develop a target date for achieving climate neutrality; 2) Establish interim target goals and actions that will lead to climate neutrality; 3) Implement actions to make climate neutrality and sustainability a part of the curriculum and other educational experiences for students; 4) Expand research or other efforts necessary to achieve climate neutrality; and 5) Develop mechanisms for tracking progress on goals and actions. For more information on the "Creating a Greener University" plan, please visit www.umd.edu.