Out of every 10 water bottles, eight will end up in a landfill -- a fact that has Victoria's Secret interns determined to make a change.
Penn State PINK interns asked students in the HUB-Robeson Center to trade in their plastic water bottles for a free reusable Victoria's Secret PINK one. Interns distributed 200 bottles in pink, blue, green or orange Monday afternoon.
Jocelyn Tourki (senior-business and psychology) said the interns were asked to plan an event to get students involved and Victoria's Secret offered to provide supplies. The Penn State interns chose to hold a recycling event in honor of Sunday's America Recycles Day.
Organizers also asked that students sign a pledge board to change bad habits in their lives, such as not recycling newspapers or buying cases of bottled water. One person wrote, "I pledge to ... Save our planet. Peace. Love. Recycle."
Also on display was a fact board with information about recycling. Students were also asked trivia questions for a free ID purse and Victoria's Secret coupon.
Jenna Gerrick (senior-public relations) said the fact that stood out to her is if anything non-recyclable is thrown into a recycling bin, then the whole bin must be thrown out.
She said recycling is something Penn State could improve upon, and she wants to jumpstart the mentality.
"We wanted to start with something small," Gerrick said. "Something we can make a difference with from people spreading the word through one another."
Stefanie Leader (senior-life sciences) heard about the recycling program from a friend while on her way to Thomas Building.
"It's going to appeal to girls the most," Leader said. "A lot of people know not to use water bottles but don't go out and buy a reusable one."
However, she admitted having a reusable bottle won't stop her from occasionally buying bottled water.
Gerrick said it was common throughout the day to see people try to finish their water bottles right in front of the table, just to get a new one.
"Eventually, we want everyone to be one less person to use plastic on campus," Tourki said. "They're stylish and cute, so maybe it'll push people."
