![[logo] US EPA](http://www.epa.gov/epafiles/images/logo_epaseal.gif){kind=logo}
Ready, Set, Row.Florida Students Race Recycled-Content Boats
On April 14, 2007, fun in the sun took on a whole new meaning as elementary, middle, and high school students in Florida donned life vests and took to the water to race watercraft built almost entirely out of recycled products. The 2007 Pinellas County Recycle Regatta, held at North Shore Beach in St. Petersburg, Florida, attracted a record 215 entrants and 85 boats from around the County. The annual event combines environmental education with a dose of friendly competition to bring attention to the three Rs of waste management—reduce, reuse, and recycle.
To show participants and spectators alike how everyday items can find a second life in unconventional ways, students built and raced their sea-faring creations through a 50-yard course, competing against kids their own age.
At least 70 percent of the materials used to build each watercraft must come from the waste stream, that is, things that would normally go to recycling or put in the trash. Popular building materials include hurricane-battered plywood, soda bottles, milk jugs, and large plastic barrels. Further, the boats must be propelled by human or sail power, including oars or pedals. Above all, the rules encourage participants to have fun and learn about ways to help reduce waste and protect the environment.
The winning boat in the middle school division, the “Sea Shuttle,” was designed as a kayak and made from empty plastic rolls once used to transport stainless steel and print paper. The boat was glued together and featured tubular stabilizers on each side to make it buoyant.
"What’s so unique about this event is the interactive education and true hands-on learning that the kids experience while preparing for the Regatta,” says Patricia Freed, a representative from Pinellas County Utilities, the main sponsor of the event. “The teachers do a fantastic job of not only encouraging waste-conscious behaviors but also tying in academic subjects, such as math and physics.”
And what happens when the race is over? The boats are dismantled and recycled of course! Now, that’s closing the recycling loop.
The Pinellas County Recycle Regatta exemplifies the types of initiatives encouraged by our Resource Conservation Challenge within the national priority area of Municipal Solid Waste and Recycling.
