Faculty, staff and students can drop their jeans for a good cause this fall.
Members of UNL's Public Relations Student Society of America will be spreading word in October as they attempt to collect 500 pairs of jeans. The UNL's PRSSA chapter is one of five student-groups nation-wide selected to launch a fall 2010 denim drive for Cotton Incorporated.
The denim drive, "Cotton. From Blue to Green." will run on campus and throughout Lincoln until Oct. 31.
PRSSA's campaign will include at least four on-campus events and one community-wide event. Drop boxes will be located around campus and in residence halls and Greek houses, as well as at Lincoln businesses and schools. Cotton Incorporated provided PRSSA with a budget and marketing materials, but it's up to the students to create buzz and gain support.
After the jeans are collected, they will be recycled and converted into UltraTouch Natural Fiber Insulation. The environmentally safe, non-itch insulation is donated to communities in need mostly through Habitat for Humanity affiliates. In 2008, UltraTouch insulation helped rebuild homes in Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas destroyed by hurricane Katrina. To-date, more than 270,000 pairs of jeans have been collected and more than 540 houses have been built with the insulation.
For more information, go online to http://go.unl.edu/b40.
The "Cotton. From Blue to Green." denim drive began in 2006 as part of a collegiate mobile marketing initiative for Cotton Incorporated. The campaign is designed to educate campus communities about the natural, renewable and recyclable attributes of denim, while also providing a learning experience for students.
Other schools selected to participate with UNL are the University of Kentucky, Syracuse University, University of Texas and University of Wisconsin.