Reusable Regatta, Sustainable Tradition

Last year, a group of freshmen Park Scholars imagined the Reusable Regatta, a race on Lake Raleigh using rafts made of plastic bottles, other recyclables, and a little bit of duct tape. The idea came to fruition in the spring of 2010 and attracted a group of students who were interested in the challenge of creating a boat made out of recyclables, as well as in the sustainability education the event provided. The winners, Matt Peterson and Kyle Winters, members of the Inter-Residence Council, fashioned their raft out of plastic crates and hundreds of plastic bottles and containers. Other groups used their creativity and skills to make impressive rafts and used items such as lunch trays as paddles. The event is scheduled to be held again in April 2011 and hopes to become an annual tradition at NC State.