The Office of Sustainability partnered with Campus Recreation and Disability Concerns to host a water bottle exchange on Earth Day.

“How did you celebrate Earth Day?” was the question the Office of Sustainability asked students on the April 22 holiday.

More than 100 students responded with 230 different eco-friendly answers to enter the office’s first-ever Twitter contest. Twenty ISU students were randomly selected to win prizes such as recycling bins, gift cards to local businesses, ISU gear, and reusable water bottles provided by the Alamo II.

Grand prize winner and senior Spanish major Kristen Schneider is riding away with a brand-new Schwinn S1 Cruiser provided by Bloomington Cycle and Fitness. Kristen entered the contest with a tweet that said: “Sitting out on the quad taking extra time to enjoy the beautiful weather and nature.”

“It was exciting to see the number of entries grow throughout the day,” said Missy Nergard, the office’s interim director. “Students were creative and thoughtful on Earth Day. They tweeted about organizing litter pick-ups, recycling, and challenging themselves to limit their power usage.”

Check out some of the submitted tweets below:

 

 

 

The Office of Sustainability also partnered with Campus Recreation and Disability Concerns to host a water bottle exchange on Earth Day. Anyone on campus could exchange a plastic water bottle for a reusable water bottle from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. on the Quad. In just 42 minutes, all 750 reusable water bottles had been given out and nearby recycling bins were full.

“Our office brought the bike out to promote the Twitter contest and to encourage students to engage in activities on Earth Day,” Nergard said. “One of the busiest times on our Twitter account was during the bottle exchange. Due to the success of the contest and the exchange, we’re hoping to host them again next year.”

The Office of Sustainability currently manages social media accounts on Twitter and Facebook to promote information about sustainability and campus projects. For more information, visit Sustainability.IllinoisState.edu.