Joliet Junior College
EN-5: Outreach Campaign

In August 2013, Joliet Junior College received a PepsiCo Dream Machine for its Main Campus. This campaign is aimed toward students, however, faculty and staff can participate as well. The PepsiCo Dream Machine is an electronic recycling bin where anyone on campus can recycle their used cans and bottles for points. Once enough points are accumulated, the participant can redeem the points for coupons at local restaurants, shops, entertainment avenues, and more.

Joliet Junior College has been extremely successful in this campaign. In addition to JJC, other colleges and universities across the country participate in this program. For the 2013-2014 school year, JJC was first place in the nation for most cans and bottles recycled. For the 2014-2015 school year, JJC took second place. Our goal was to start a marketing the campaign early Fall 2015 in order to be winners again, in which we did. Here is a PEPSICO link to see our standings: https://www.pepsicorecycling.com/Programs/RecyclingOnCampus

Also, as long as people continue to use the Dream Machine, PepsiCo Recycling has promised to donate to the Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans with Disabilities (EBV). The EBV is a national program that gives free training to post-9/11 veterans who have goals of starting their own businesses.

Here is an article about how JJC won the PepsiCo Dream Machine contest last school year (2013-2014): http://news.jjc.edu/2014/04/jjc-slides-into-first-place-in-nationwide-pepsico-college-recycling-challenge/

Here is a graph we posted on Facebook that shows how many items were recycled on a month-by-month basis that year: https://www.facebook.com/JolietJuniorCollege/photos/pb.69511125863.-2207520000.1414004197./10152803908085864/?type=3&theater

The positive impact include education, cooperation, and a monetary award. Collecting almost 1 ton of bottles and can in a few month period was an eye opener and showed exactly how much we can recycle and how much recycling actually goes into landfills.This communal effort was a great collaboration among the faculty, staff, and students; and we hope that next year we can engage the community as well. By winning second place, JJC received $15,000 which has been earmarked for future Student Sustainable initiatives that will have a great impact for many semesters to come.

New students and new staff and faculty are encouraged to sign the JJC Sustainability Pledge when they first come to campus, during orientation and by word of mouth. The student pledge reads as follows:

"The Joliet Junior College Student Sustainability Pledge was established through the JJC Sustainability Initiatives Committee by the Students for a Sustainable Future. The Pledge encourages students to take small but mindful action in their daily lives that will support the sustainability efforts on campus and collectively reduce the ecological footprint of our community.

I pledge to explore and consider the economic, social, and environmental impacts of my habits. I will make every effort to reduce my ecological footprint and to explore ways to foster a sustainable environment during my time here at Joliet Junior College and beyond. Specifically, I will commit to the following practices to the best of my ability:"

The faculty/staff pledge reads as follows:

"I pledge to explore and consider the economic, social and environmental impacts of my habits. I will make every effort to reduce my ecological footprint and to explore ways to foster a sustainable environment during my time here at Joliet Junior College and beyond. Specifically, I will commit to the following practices to the best of my ability:

I will reduce my energy use by:
-Turning off lights and appliances when they are not in use
-Unplugging small electronics and appliances at the end of my work day
-Disabling my screensaver
-Taking the stairs instead of taking the elevator

I will reduce the waste I produce by:
-Working with electronic documents as much as possible to reduce the amount of printed/copied material
-Programming default printer/copier settings to double-sided
-Using rechargeable batteries
-Using scratch paper for notes
-Using my JJC Reusable Green Container when taking food out of the cafeteria
-Using reusable food and drink containers and reducing the amount of bottled water that I purchase
-Holding paperless meetings and reviewing items online
-Using the proper recycling bin containers located throughout the campus
-Removing my name from unwanted junk mail lists

I will socialize my pledge by:
-Leading by example
-Encouraging others to take the Sustainability Pledge
-Being tolerant of inconveniences associated with implementing more ecofriendly programs on campus
-Informing students and colleagues about college activities that promote social development, environmental protection and economic growth
-Keeping an open mind about options to reduce energy and waste and sharing new ideas with colleagues

JJC offers separate pledges for Students and one for Faculty and staff. Since the pledge's inception, more than 330 faculty and staff have taken the pledge and almost 200 students. Many employees proudly display their Pledge certificates and encourage others to participate or a at least consider the impact of their day to day actions.