Echo

Green Gridirons: University of Illinois

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A football stadium may have green grass but does it have green habits? Each week, Great Lakes Echo highlights a Big Ten football stadium’s attempts to do the most to impact the environment the least. All schools have information on the stadium’s diversion rate – the amount of waste recycled instead of put in a landfill. Stadium: Memorial Stadium

School: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Built: 1922

Capacity: 60,670

2012 diversion rate: 84.50 throughout campus; n/a for stadium only

Scouting report: “We are just starting our green initiative out for the stadium,” said Lenny Willis, director of athletic facilities at the University of Illinois. The university plans to collaborate with the campus to start a stadium-specific program, with recycling bins at the gates and in parking lots.

Waste

Green Gridirons: Northwestern University

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A football stadium may have green grass but does it have green habits? Each week, Great Lakes Echo highlights a Big Ten football stadium’s attempts to do the most to impact the environment the least. All schools have information on the stadium’s diversion rate – the amount of waste recycled instead of put in a landfill. Stadium: Ryan Field

School: Northwestern University

Built: 1997

Capacity: 47,130

2012 diversion rate: 39 percent

Scouting report: Ryan Field began recycling bottles and cardboard on game day in 2008. Most recycling collections come from tailgate lots, said Julie Cahillane, Northwestern’s manager of recycling and refuse.

Waste

Green Gridirons: University of Iowa

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A football stadium may have green grass but does it have green habits? Each week, Great Lakes Echo highlights a Big Ten football stadium’s attempts to do the most to impact the environment the least. All schools have information on the stadium’s diversion rate – the amount of waste recycled instead of put in a landfill. Stadium: Kinnick Stadium

School: University of Iowa

Built: 1929

Capacity: 70,585

2012 diversion rate: 52 percent

Scouting report: The Iowa Recycling Team has united with other school organizations to keep game days clean before, during and after football games. During pregame activities, 26 recycling bins are placed at the gate entrance of Kinnick Stadium for fans to drop their materials as they enter, according to Eric Holthaus, recycling coordinator at the school.