The University Office of Sustainability has partnered with the Union Activities Board to support the 2011 Campus Sustainability Day by holding a recycled costume contest Friday at Harris Field.
The carnival-themed event will be from 4 p.m . to 7:30 p.m . and is open to all University faculty, staff and students. Featured at the event, the recycled costume contest will give students the opportunity to display their creativity and recycling skills.
The idea behind the contest is to have students use eco-friendly and recycled or reused materials to invent an eye-catching Halloween costume. Awards will be given to students with the “Most Recycled” costume and the “Best Overall” costume.
With the current push to “go green,” Campus Sustainability Day encourages recycling and reusing pieces of old costumes to make new ones.
Students are in agreement that recycling materials for Halloween costumes is the best way to go.
Diana Quetti , a sophomore in communications, is an avid recycler and believes in planning for sustainability. Quetti plans to attend the event, and says she may participate in the costume contest.
“For a recycled costume I think the Tin Man would be really cool. Or Oscar the Grouch,” Quetti said.
While some costumes can cost upwards of $100, Quetti said costumes can be created the cheap and easy way.
“You can use clothes and accessories that you already have or you can find them cheap at a Goodwill or thrift store,” Quetti said.
Dressing as a pimp this year, Brian Cox, a senior in parks, recreation and tourism, said he found all the pieces of his get-up in his very own closet.
“It was really simple for me because I just used clothes I already had. It’s a great idea to combine old costumes to make a new one,” Cox said.
Cox says he supports the meaning behind Campus Sustainability Day. The efforts to plan for sustainability extend amongst many fields including agriculture, energy, waste reduction and recycling.
In addition to the recycled costume contest, the event will include free food for the first 500 attendees, corn hole made from recycled products, a DJ, a magician, palm reading and pumpkin painting. Attendees will also have the option of taking the Sustainability Bike Tour of the University that begins at 4:30 p.m . and concludes at 5:15 p.m .
Morgan Pritchett, a senior in nutrition, said Campus Sustainability Day is something everyone should participate in. She said the continuing recycling and sustainability endeavors will eventually become a reality for everyone.
“Sustainability is a big part of functionality. And to function as a society we have to learn about what we can do – even if it’s small – to better the world that we live in,” Pritchett said.
In using reused, renewed, and recycled items for a costume, Pritchett said creativity is key.
“There are a million different things to use for costumes – just tap into your imagination,” Pritchett said.