This past week, on-campus residents accumulated empty recyclable goods in the hopes that they would prove to be the most eco-friendly hall in all of University Park.

Passerbys confused by doorways barricaded with towering trash, take note: students are not becoming hoarders, nor is the leaning tower of pizza actually trash, but rather the display an example of the methodical strategies being explored to win the “2011 Great Recycling Challenge.”

The winner of the recycling challenge will be determined by the Office of the Physical Plant after this week when it examines which residency hall has the lowest percentage of recyclable products in the ratio of recyclable items to waste. Essentially, the fewer recyclables that are in your trash, the better. In each of the past three years, North Halls has been victorious.

Onward State photographer Dave Cole partook in this friendly competition, along with his roommates, in all means “green.” What may seem like a competition for  the Great Recycling Challenge trophy is actually a lesson in global awareness. The massive piles of trash clogging doorways and polluting hallways represent, not a stereotypical dorm, but a student body which is hungry for environmental change.

You can learn more on helpful tips and how to go “green” by visiting The Daily Green website.