Recycling, technology and vending machines have met, and Gannon will benefit.
The Pepsi Dream Machine – a kiosk that trades recycled materials for points that can be redeemed for prizes online – is coming to Gannon.
Andrew Teets, the purchasing director in the finance office, said Gannon is going to get the kiosk within the next two weeks, and it will be placed in the Power Room of the Waldron Campus Center, beside vending machines already located there.
Teets said the kiosk will be brought as part of the usual negotiations with the PepsiCo Inc. During the negotiations Gannon representatives expressed an interest in green initiatives, and Pepsi suggested it bring the machine to campus.
The Dream Machine is a joint venture between Pepsi, Greenopolis and the company Waste Management. The idea came from Greenopolis. Waste Management is in charge of picking up and taking the materials to the place they are to be recycled.
Soon, every student will be given a card, which will track the materials they are recycling. After inserting their cards into the machine, they will put their recyclables into the machine to be counted. The machine takes any plastic bottles or aluminum cans that have readable UPCs.
The more people put in the machine, the more points they earn. Points can be redeemed online at greenopolis.com for local discounts and coupons on entertainment, dining and travel.
In addition to recycling, the Dream Machine helps disabled U.S. veterans, Michelle Homan, an associate professor in the environmental science department said.
Pepsi will provide money to the Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans with Disabilities, a national program which offers post-Sept. 11 disabled veterans free education and training small business management and entrepreneurship.
Homan said she is excited for the initiative, because it’s a new way to encourage recycling.
“I like the idea of providing incentives for recycling because I think that will increase awareness and hopefully increase recycling rates at Gannon,” she said.
For more information on the Pepsi Dream Machine initiative, go to its Facebook page at Facebook.com/DreamMachine or greenopolis.org.
