Scarlet, Gray, and Green are three colors that come to mind when I reflect on my experience at the Ohio State vs. Miami (FL) Buckeye Bash. This marked my first experience working this event, and what a great way to start it off. During the event I was able to hear some words of wisdom from Archie, watch a performance by the cheerleaders, and have some brave souls let me test my art skills by decorating their cheeks with face paint.

While all of this was very entertaining and enjoyable, we were also working hard towards our goal of this event, which was to create zero waste. Everything from the plates that held our food, cups, napkins, and down to our eating utensils (made from bamboo) were recyclable! With all these items it was a little confusing to know where to discard each item in the many recycle bins. As a member of the Student-Alumni Council working this event, it was my job, along with my peers, to help assist alumni in properly disposing their waste so that everything could be recycled. With the combined effort of everyone in attendance, our goal was reached, and the event concluded with zero waste. I take pride in seeing that our Alumni Association is at the forefront of creating a better tomorrow.

“Going Green” is something we all have been hearing for a while now, and after this event I am now very proactive towards this initiative. It is our duty to take care of the planet we inhabit, and every single person needs to play his or her part. Seeing our Alumni Association start this initiative for the Buckeye Bash made me realize that if an alumni association as large as ours can do it, so can I. I always had the misconception that recycling was hard, and time consuming. However, this event helped me realize how easy it truly is and I now separate my recyclables at home. I can only speak for myself, but through the conversations I had with other alumni at the event, I do not think I was the only one who took the message home.

During my time at Ohio State, and through my interaction with alumni, I have noticed that as Buckeyes we are never satisfied with doing bare minimum. We all try to do our very best, and always find a way to give back. Take this Buckeye Bash for example: We could have easily thrown everything away, created more waste, taken it to the garbage cans, and forgotten about it. However, we chose to be proactive by “Going Green” and helped take a step in creating a brighter future. I believe Woody Hayes said it the best that “You can never pay back, but you can always pay it forward.”