MATT DRISCOLL: TODAY IN PRESS RELEASES >>>

It’s only a little after noon, but today has already been a busy day for the folks over at Tacoma Community College who generate press releases for hacks like me.

Not one, but two noteworthy announcements regarding TCC have already graced my inbox. Who knows? By day’s end it could be more.

First off, it was announced this morning that little ol’ TCC, which competed in the annual RecycleMania contest this year, can recycle and reduce waste with the big dogs â€" that is famed universities like Stanford, the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, Princeton, the University of Michigan and plenty of others.  Out of 88 colleges and universities, TCC finished fourth in the Grand Championship category, with a cumulative recycling rate of 47.59 percent. TCC finished third among 95 participating universities and colleges in the Waste Minimization category generating 22.20 pounds of waste per person during the RecycleMania competition. 

The RecycleMania competition started in 2001, as a small contest between Ohio State University and Miami (OH) University. Over the course of seven years it has become a nationwide event administered by the National Recycling Coalition, which lasts ten weeks and drew 400 institutions to participate this year.

More info about RecycleMania can be found here, including complete results from all 16 categories.

Next up was a less descriptive press release from TCC, but nonetheless it seemed worth passing along.

In 2003 President Bush created the President’s Volunteer Service Award, which is intended to recognize people in the community from all over the country that make things a little better for everyone through volunteer community service â€" or something like that. It just so happens that TCC is a certifying organization for the award (one of thousands across the country), and today they awarded 17 people with the distinguished honor. Those people, however, were not listed in the press release.

Apparently, though, almost anyone is eligible to receive the President’s Volunteer Service Award. There’s no shortage of them, and they’re handed out annually. Basically, you turn in your volunteering record to a certifying organization like TCC, and then they make the call. Like I said, there are thousands of these certifying organizations across the country, and all of them have the authority to give the award.

Anyway, more information on the Presidents Volunteer Service Award can be found here. Congratulations to the 17 people that TCC honored today â€" whoever you may be.