The Oswego State Office of Sustainability has partnered with the company, Cupanion for the RecycleMania competition this year, to reduce the number of disposable plastic water bottles on campus.

Jamie Adams, the sustainability program coordinator, was introduced to Cupanion at the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in higher Education (AASHE) Conference in Minnesota this year. Adams loved the idea of the program and wanted to partner with them for RecycleMania this year.

“Obviously, it’s impossible to stop using plastic entirely,” Adams said. “But what we want students to know is how much power they have to affect the world around them.”

Until April 1, interns from the Office of Sustainability will continue to give free water bottles in the Marano Campus Center as part of RecycleMania. The goal of RecycleMania and the partnership with Cupanion is to reduce the number of disposable plastic water bottles on the Oswego State campus.

Each water bottle that is given out has a bar code attached to the bottom that students can scan using the Cupanion App to receive points. They are also giving out the barcode stickers for the students that have their own reusable water bottles and want to participate.

The Cupanion App is a free application for smart phones that tracks how many times the user has refilled a reusable water bottle. It also tracks the number of disposable plastic bottles the user has kept from going into the environment.

Students and staff members are encouraged to participate and are rewarded for using the app. For every bar code that scanned on the app, the user receives ten points. For every 1000 points earned, the user will receive a free beverage on campus. Also, for every 1000 points, the user is entered into prize giveaways from Cupanion and the sustainability office.

Students at Oswego State like the idea of the free reusable water bottles helping the environment.

“I like the fact that were lowering the number of disposable plastic water bottles on campus and that we get a free drink after refilling the bottles,” said Leah Wolf, a freshman. “The number of times we need to refill our bottle seems a bit extreme though.”

Freshman Derek Hempstead also likes the reusable water bottles.

“After I stopped at the table, I learned that not only do reusable water bottles save me money, but on average, each American uses 167 disposable water bottles every year,” Hempstead said. “I’m just glad I won’t be adding to that high number.”

Many students were also asked to sign a pledge, saying that they would not purchase plastic water bottles until April 1.

“I use my water bottle all the time,” Hempstead said. “Although I haven’t downloaded the Cupanion app yet, it has still made me aware of how many plastic water bottles I was using before I signed the pledge.”

According to Adams, the partners at Cupanion are amazed at the energy and participation at Oswego State” Adams said. “Cupanion plans to come visit and give away more products towards the end of RecycleMania.”

As of 10 a.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 16, just over one week since the start of the program, Oswego State has saved more than 7,300 plastic disposable water bottles.

“I am always incredibly proud of the student body at Oswego State,” Adams said. “This event in particular has shown me how prepared our students are to take active responsibility in their community. It’s so exciting to see what we can accomplish together.”