Spring is an exciting time of year for recycling in the University setting. In the midst of RecycleMania, Earth Day, and then Move-out events, this year we also engaged in a partnership with a group of 5th and 6th graders who spearheaded a collection of sneakers for the Nike Reuse-a-Shoe program.
It began when Robin Eli, working at School #23 as a member of Rochester AmeriCorps, reached out to the University. As part of her duties, Robin oversees the school’s Green Team who began the school year doing some research on sustainability and energy efficiency. The team consists of about eight students educate younger kids on the importance of these matters and collect recycling once a week. Robin reached out to seek new endeavours for the team wondering if we had any ideas on connecting the students to what we do at the University level.
After offering a couple of suggestions, it was decided that the team would promote and manage a collection of old sneakers within the school and we would handle them along with our own sneakers through Nike’s program. Through the Nike Reuse-a-Shoe program, shoes are cut into three pieces, ground up and ultimately turned into new athletic surfaces. The upper foam layer is turned into springy surfaces like tennis courts and playgrounds, the middle fabric layer is turned into padding for basketball courts. The bottom rubber layer is turned into running tracks. See our poster for details.
Through this program, the students of School #23’s Green Team gained a real sense of pride and ownership. Together they collected approximately 60 pairs of shoes! It gave students an opportunity to educate their classmates on the importance of recycling and waste minimization and that even something like a pair of old sneakers could be turned into new products.
We are happy to have engaged in this partnership and want to thank Robin and the students of School #23 for their efforts. Great job!