Red Dragons to be rewarded for living green

04/19/2022 

During the week of Earth Day, refilling a water bottle or picking up litter around campus could do more than help save the planet. It could win you a prize.

“Red Dragons Living Green,” an initiative of SUNY Cortland’s student Green Reps, will reward sustainability minded students for environment-friendly habits from April 20 through April 29, Arbor Day. Friday, April 22, is Earth Day.

During that week, students who use campus water bottle filling stations, ride a bicycle to class, carry a tote bag or participate in any activity demonstrating a desire to live sustainably, could win a prize.

All they need to do is be spotted.

Each day that week, a pair of SUNY Cortland staff members will arm themselves with prizes and wander different parts of campus from either 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. or from 1 to 3:30 p.m., looking for students being green.

In addition, similarly prize-laden Green Reps will look for sustainable students in the common areas of their assigned residence halls for an hour every couple of days. Green Reps are students hired to encourage green practices in SUNY Cortland’s residence halls.

It’s not just the winners of the weeklong Earth Day competition who are green. The prizes are too.

The Living Green patrols will hand out rewards designed to encourage sustainability, such as reusable zip lock bags, bamboo toothbrushes, metal straws or reusable shopping bags.

"We thought this would be a great way to highlight so many ways that SUNY Cortland students, staff and faculty live green,” said Campus Sustainability Coordinator Beth Klein.

Keep your eyes out for the patrols and make sure they’re watching if you participate in a local clean-up, donate food to a pantry, turn off unneeded electric lights or any of dozens of other things.

Better yet, do those things even if nobody is watching. It’s your planet too.