The North Carolina Tar Heels and Detroit Lions are so synonymous with blue that they have specific names for their shade. The Tar Heels boast their "Carolina blue," while the Lions wear "Honolulu blue," based on the color of the waves off the Hawaiian coast
But this week, both teams will #TurnItGreen.
When UNC hosts the Iowa Hawkeyes on Wednesday, all 22,000 fans in attendance at the Dean Dome will receive a green Tar Heels shirt made out of 85 percent recycled polyester and 15 percent cotton. On Sunday, 65,000 fans at the Lions-Buccaneers game at Ford Field will receive a towel made with recycled materials.
The giveaways are being provided by REPREVE, a company that turns recycled plastic bottles into yarn.
ThePostGame has a sneak peak at the giveaways at the two venues:
The T-shirt is made with two recycled plastic bottles and the towel features three recycled plastic bottles. A total of 250,000 recycled bottles are estimated to be used in the products REPREVE gives away at the two events. Other promotional t-shirts, towels and banners will be available in both venues.
"Working with REPREVE gives us the opportunity to show how green our students and fan base can be, and I’m confident they will rise to the challenge,” UNC coach Roy Williams said. "Recycling really does make a significant impact, and we want everyone to take what they learn in the stands and put it into action, so that the entire campus community will recycle even more than we do currently."
As part of REPREVE's "Take the Smart Shot" campaign, a number of recycling competitions have been unveiled this week involving UNC students. The company also announced the 2015 UNC graduation ceremony will feature REPREVE gowns, each made using 27 recycled plastic bottles.
In Detroit, 500 new recycling containers have been created in Ford Field at the start of training camp. As of Nov. 9, 37,000 had been recycled in Ford Field. The campaign has been part of REPREVE's "Make the Smart Throw" program in Detroit.
"Recycling is critical, yet 70 percent of plastic bottles in the U.S. do not get recycled, ending up in parks, landfills or the ocean. In football, you have to give 100 percent day in and day out, and the same is true for recycling and taking care of the planet,” Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford said. "It’s time for us to step up our game and make the smart throw by tossing our used plastic bottles into recycling bins."
Since 2009, REPREVE has recycled more than 2 billion plastic bottles into everyday products. Other partners include The North Face, Haggar, Quiksilver and Ford.
More information about "Take the Smart Shot," "Make the Smart Throw" and #TurnItGreen Week can be found on www.repreve.com.
-- Follow Jeffrey Eisenband on Twitter @JeffEisenband.
