Tailgate Ambassadors Experience

This past weekend, Penn State football fans participated in one of the most highly anticipated sporting events of the year…the infamous whiteout game against Ohio State University.  Over 110,000 fans took part in game day activities, and 50 volunteers from various clubs helped make these game day festivities a little more eco-friendly by stepping forward as a Tailgate Ambassador.

Members Matt Leddy, Audrey Gabrys, Amelia Geiser and Benjamin Lymes all gearing up for the event with bags in hand!

By 8 o’clock in the morning, 10 Eco- Action representatives were in their whiteout gear, and ready to conquer the tailgating lots with blue recycling bags, and white/clear trash bags. The reps were assigned four designated areas to hand out these bags as Penn State fans began to set up their tailgates. Along with handing out bags, came free goodies such as bottle openers, koozies, and other Tailgate Ambassador merchandise to serve as a reminder to make their tailgate more sustainable by sorting their metals, plastics, and glass into the blue bags. Not only did our Eco- Action representatives handout the waste bags to fans, we connected with individuals and shared our knowledge about the amount of waste produced on whiteout day in particular, every year. To put it into perspective, the amount of waste that is produced on whiteout game days, is equivalent to 6 years worth of waste collected at Pattee/Paterno Library. Tailgaters were blown away by these numbers, and seeing their reactions to these incredible waste results gave a sense of reassurance that they were committed to helping cut those pounds of waste down.

Members Jacob Geist and David Jordan pose for a photo before setting out to meet fellow tailgaters

My personal experience as a volunteer for Tailgate Ambassadors was nothing short of an incredible morning filled with Penn State pride, and educating others about how they can do their part in recycling. We had beautiful weather Saturday, the fans and alumni were great, and Eco- Action got to put a face to the people involved in preventing waste. Hopefully, by creating the personal connection between each Tailgate Ambassador and fans, our Penn State tailgaters will feel more inclined to make their game day experience more sustainable.

~All photos taken by our member, Ahmed Al-Mahrooqi

Me and Kelsey Neff discussing the morning events

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