If you’re environmentally minded and interested in making your residence halls more Castleton green while having fun, the Eco-reps program is for you.The first Eco-reps program was started at Tufts University in Boston in 2000. Since

then, nearly 30 additional programs have followed, with additions each year.

Now, Castleton State College has joined that group with an Eco-reps program created by Area Coordinators Brittany Wooten and Daniel Gardner.

“We were simply looking for the best way to implement a program that was tailored to our college, our students, and our residential needs,” Wooten said.

The program will help students learn how their lifestyle effects the environment and increase overall student awareness of environmental issues and promote green campus initiatives.

“We are not looking for anyone with previous knowledge of environmental issues, we just want people who are dedicated in making some changes in the residence halls,” Gardner said.

By joining the Eco-reps program here at Castleton, students will not only be helping make residence halls more green, but organizers say they’ll have fun as well.

“We are thinking of coming up with a competition between the residence halls to see who can use the least energy, and then have a prize for the winner,” Gardner said.

Students in the program should expect to obtain valuable leadership skills, use creativity, and promote sustainable living to their peers, Wooten said.

“We could get more creative with the idea of recycling in terms of going beyond the obvious of throwing a can into a green bin,” she said.

Students seem to be embracing the program and what it stands for.

“I never cared about recycling until I came to Castleton. It’s programs like this that really encourage people to recycle more because they try to make it fun while you do it,” said sophomore Shannon Gallagher.

Both Wooten and Gardner are true advocates for the program, really trying to encourage people to conserve energy and recycle more.

“I see recycling as a way to maintain your current lifestyle while giving back to the overall cause,” Wooten said.

Gardner said he’s the type of person who walks as much as he can and picks up trash if he sees it on the ground, little things to do his part.

Wooten said that anyone is welcome to join, even if it’s for one meeting, and they are always open to suggestions by e-mail.

“We are in the beginning stages of making this happen at Castleton and those that choose to get involved now are the ones that are going to really shape the program,” she said. “Students involved will lead us in making the residence halls something we can be proud of in terms of our reduced impact on the environment.