RecycleMania Empowers Future Leaders

Gwendolyn Keyes Fleming @ podium
Photo by Susan Montgomery

The Atlanta University Center* kicked-off their 2012 RecycleMania competition to impressive fanfare on Saturday, February 04. Gwendolyn Keyes Fleming, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 4 Regional Administrator , served as keynote speaker during the formal program and was joined at the podium by executives from each AUC organization.  

Gwendolyn with Art Frazier of Spelman
Photo by Susan Montgomery

With recycling serving as the catalyst for collaborative efforts around environmental concerns at the historic AUC, RecycleMania is also an expression of the universities' commitment to mentoring future leaders. 



How inspiring to witness Atlanta's African American community leaders commit personal weekend time to voice their support to our youth and the environment!

Jessica in front of recycling compactor
Photo by Susan Montgomery

Friendly competition intertwines with collaborative spirit as the AUC members compete with each other as well as one within the overall competition.  After the Saturday kick-off, the eight-week competition among North American universities and colleges culminates in awards ranging from largest total recyclables collected to least amount of waste per capita.  In 2011 RecycleMania, 630 institutions entered the competition enveloping 7.5 million students & staff and resulting in 91 million pounds of material recovered.


RecyceMania is a 501(c)3 non-profit governed by a steering committee of sustainability professionals from supporting universities.  Program management is provided by Keep America Beautiful.  Program support is provided by the EPA's  WasteWise program and the College & University Recycling Coalition.

Budding Leaders Bonding
Photo by Susan Montgomery

Expressing Elemental Impact's support, Susan Montgomery, Ei Program Director, attended the kick-off event with Jessica, her daughter and budding environmental leader.  With like energy attraction at work, Jessica found new friends at the event who shared her passion for visioning a world where we live, work and play together in harmony with our environment. 


The AUC RecycleMania event exemplified the power inherent within collaborative effort directed at mentoring our youth to develop future leaders based in integrity within environmental as well as economic concerns.  Thank you to the  AUC leaders who took the time to take vision into reality.
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*AUC Definition per their website: The Atlanta University Center is a non-profit organization created to provide services and programs to its member institutions. These institutions; Clark Atlanta University, Morehouse College, Morehouse School of Medicine, and Spelman College share a common mission as members of the Consortium to provide quality education for African Americans and other students of diversity.