News from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire

Department of Communication and Journalism

105 Garfield Avenue Eau Claire, WI 54702
Contact: Ella Koch
Kochen@uwec.edu
Cell: 608.206.6629
For Immediate Release
October 2, 2015
UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-EAU CLAIRE
HOLDS CAMPUSWIDE LITTER PICKUP
EAU CLAIRE, Wis., Oct. 2, 2015 The Student Office of Sustainability will be putting
on the largest, single day, volunteer litter cleanup event in the entire UW System, called
Blugolds Go Green at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 24. This will be the second annual Blugolds
Go Green event and it is anticipated that over 300 students, faculty and community members
will volunteer to clean up waste around the UW-Eau Claire campus.
Blugolds Go Green is in conjunction with Make A Difference Day, the nations largest
day of community service created by USA Weekend Magazine, whose goal is to improve the
lives of others and make a difference in their communities. Chancellor James Schmidt, who will
be in attendance, mentions some of the differences this day will make. The amount UW-Eau
Claire spends on litter cleanup each year is about $47,000. Events like this one help to reduce
that financial burden on the university, and free up those funds to be spent on worthwhile
academic and student life programs.
Last year over 250 people attended the event and collected around 150 pounds of trash.
Some of the items collected included: 416 cigarette butts, 144 beverage cans, 116 pieces of copy
paper, and 28 coffee cups. This fall, when 948 UW-Eau Claire students were surveyed, almost
94 percent of them disagreed, or strongly disagreed, that it is okay to litter. Around 90 percent
knew that littering is against the law, and 100 percent of them believed littering can
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cause environmental problems. However, out of those same students, almost 50 percent of them
admitted to littering on-campus and around 75 percent claimed they have seen other people
litter on-campus in an average month.
The goal of this event is to not only keep the UW-Eau Claire campus beautiful, but also
encourage people to make a change in their habits, and stop littering. Community volunteer
Thomas Peterson says, I hope that someday we dont have to have these kinds of events, and
instead we can get together to celebrate the unadulterated beauty we have around us. Until that
day I am proud to help make this campus a little more beautiful than it was the day before.

About UW-Eau Claire

UW-Eau Claire was established in 1916 and is a part of the University of Wisconsin System.
According to U.S. News, it is frequently listed in the top 10 public Midwestern universities. In
an average academic year, over 10,000 students enroll who are encouraged to find their life-long
passions and improve the world around us.
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