Did you know ... during the week of Oct. 8, Penn State's University Park campus will celebrate the 10th anniversary of its innovative Student Newspaper Readership Program -- now a model for 500 similar programs at colleges and universities spanning the nation. A complement to the Newspaper Readership Program is another Penn State innovation, its eco-friendly, student-friendly newspaper recycling program, which has been modeled nationwide at universities including Arizona State, Notre Dame, West Virginia and the University of Missouri.
By the Numbers
-- The amount of national and local newspapers distributed at Penn State last year alone is enough to cover every seat in Beaver Stadium 6.9 times.
-- In the past 10 years, Penn State has recycled 1,774 tons of newspapers and counting -- an estimated 7 million newspapers, or enough to fill the field of Beaver Stadium to a depth of 37 inches -- with a weight equivalent to at least 142 adult male African elephants or 15,653 adult male mountain lions.
-- Since 1997, the volume of newspapers Penn State has recycled has earned more than $84,000 in student scholarship funds.
For more fun facts about the Penn State newspaper recycling program's environmental and cost savings since 1997, visit http://live.psu.edu/story/26336 online.
Watch a video about the Student Newspaper Readership Program and its recycling efforts at http://live.psu.edu/video/59 online.