When the first plastic cup was tossed into a recycling container in 1993, a Tennessee tradition was born. Today, the Good Sports program celebrated 25 years at the University of Tennessee with the recognition of 10 Tennessee schools, including Cleveland High School and Ivy Academy, who are doing their part to make their communities a better place to live.
Winners of the Good Sports School Challenge were recognized on the field, and each was awarded $1,000-$1,500 for their efforts, bringing the total awarded to Tennessee K-12 schools to more than $170,000 since the program’s inception.
This year’s Good Sports School Challenge winners included: Braford Special School District in Bradford, Carpenters Elementary School in Maryville, Cherokee High School in Rogersville, Cleveland High School in Cleveland, David Crockett Elementary School in Lawrenceburg, Dobyns-Bennett Excel in Kingsport, Ivy Academy in Soddy Daisy and Union Elementary STEM and Demonstration School in Gallatin. Each received $1,000 for their environmental program. Additionally, two schools were awarded $1,500 for their efforts: Algood Elementary School in Cookeville was honored as the Best New Program, and Lipscomb Academy Lower School in Nashville received the Sustainability Steward Award.
“The winners of this annual challenge are shining examples of what Tennessee’s next generation of leaders can accomplish in the realm of recycling, landfill diversion and overall sustainability,” said Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation Commissioner Dr. Shari Meghreblian.
The Good Sports School Challenge was designed to recognize Tennessee schools for making an impact and teaching students about environmental responsibility.
“Schools that have programs designed to actively manage environmental impact and that educate students and communities about environmental stewardship are not only making a difference today, they are impacting and inspiring future generations,” said Hanneke Counts, vice president of global health, safety, environment and security at Eastman. “We are proud to have led this program for the last 25 years, and we hope through Good Sports we have made a difference in the lives of students, our environment and communities across the state.”
The school programs can come in a variety of forms and include many different elements such as providing environmental education, reducing overall impact through energy and water conservation, general recycling and reuse programs, and conservation and preservation efforts.
“Being community-oriented and involved in local efforts is one of our top priorities, and what better way to do that than to work with our schools to encourage environmental stewardship,” said Kevin Stafford, Food City vice president of Marketing. “Every year we are astounded at the great programs in schools across the state, and we want to congratulate our winners and everyone who entered for their efforts to make a difference.”
While the festivities were about rewarding schools for their programs, UT fans recognize Good Sports as the university’s stadium recycling program. On UT campus, the Good Sports Always Give Back Program includes recycling, composting and donation programs in all UT athletic facilities, including Neyland Stadium. During last year’s football season alone, nearly 10.5 tons of waste was diverted from the landfill.
“Bringing 100,000-plus people together for one event creates a tremendous amount of waste, and if not handled correctly can be detrimental to the environment," said Jason McCue, district manager for Waste Connections. "Our partnership with the University of Tennessee, Food City and Eastman has helped to divert tons of waste from the landfall over the last 25 years—that’s no small accomplishment."
The Good Sports Always Give Back program is sponsored by Eastman, Food City and Waste Connections, in conjunction with the University of Tennessee. For more information about the Good Sports program, please visit www.Eastman.com/GSAGB.