The Yale Student Environmental Coalition (YSEC) received support from Yale Utilities for the establishment of the Green Cup in the spring of 1991. Green Cup takes advantage of the competitive spirit existing between the twelve residential colleges for intra-mural athletics and grade point averages for promotion of recycling and conservation. The contest presently focuses on scoring the recycling performances of each college. Green Cup Coordinators also encourage fellow students to conserve heat, water and electricity. The twelve residential colleges compete for weekly and year-end cash prizes and the Green Cup, a glass trophy cup blown by a local craftsman from glass collected from student recycling bins.

Scoring System
Scoring is done weekly by a team of student inspectors typically hired from the School of Forestry. The team checks each entryway on Old Campus and, in each residential college, 5 trash cans (chosen randomly) and 3 recycling bins or carts. For a bin or cart containing only the appropriate material 10 points are awarded. If there are contaminants, however, one point is taken off for each. For example, if Entryway A's trash can had four bottles, a newspaper and a cardboard box in it along with trash it would receive four points because of the six contaminants.

Prizes
A one hundred dollar prize is awarded each week to the college with the best score for the week. At the end of the year first second and third place prizes of $1,000, $500 and $300 are awarded to the best overall colleges. There is an additional pizza party for the dormitory on Old Campus who recycles the most at the end of the year.

Latest Scores
Total Scores (2004)
Total Scores (2003-2004)
Residential Colleges (Spring 2004)
Old Campus (Spring 2004)

2004
Week 3 (02.07.03)
Week 2 (10.25.03)
Week 1 (10.25.03)

2003
Week 11 (11.22.03)
Week 10 (11.15.03)
Week 9 (11.08.03)
Week 8 (11.01.03)
Week 7 (10.25.03)