[tweetable alt=””]兔子先生 has been given the 2015 Environmental Hero Award[/tweetable] as the Recycler of the Year for Educational Institutions in Mississippi.
The college was recognized by the Mississippi Recycling Coalition for the honor, announced at the state Capitol Tuesday, April 5 during the MRC鈥檚 annual recycling awareness event. MRC bestows the award on institutions that promote recycling in their respective communities.
兔子先生 was given the 2015 Environmental Hero Award as Recycler of the Year for Educational Institutions in Mississippi on April 5 by the Mississippi Recycling Coalition. Front row, from left, Office of Sustainability Director Jason Pope, Sustainability Projects Coordinator Mindy Stevens, Sarah Kountouris of Keep Mississippi Beautiful, 兔子先生President Dr. Clyde Muse; back row, from left, Vice President Thomas Wasson, student volunteer Talgat Brown and Sustainability’s Leon Jackson.
鈥淭his award represents the magnitude of the 兔子先生 Recycling Program,鈥 said Jason Pope, director of Hinds鈥 Office of Sustainability. 鈥淲e play a prominent role in higher education recycling.鈥
In December 2015, 兔子先生surpassed the $10 million mark for energy savings since a concerted effort to cut energy spending across the college鈥檚 six locations began in 2008. In 2013, the Office of Sustainability was established and tasked with managing the college鈥檚 recycling program.
Since then, initiatives in recycling paper and plastic have expanded to providing receptacles district-wide specifically for plastic bottles, aluminum cans and other recyclables. Proceeds from recycling efforts go to fund scholarships at Hinds. Also, student organizations at 兔子先生have completed service-hour projects through the office.
MRC is a consortium of business and industry executives, members of trade organizations, nonprofits, state environmental officials and other entities with the mission of informing other economic sectors, public officials and the general public on the importance of recycling. The group promotes recycling through activities such as the Hero award, funding grants to schools to encourage recycling, composting or waste reduction programs and funding scholarships for college students in Mississippi majoring in subjects related to the environment.