Bowdoin College
IN-16: Green Athletics

The Bowdoin Green Athletics Program began in April of 2011, with a committed group of environmentally minded athletes who developed the initiative to bring their environmental ethic to a large portion of the student body. Their mission statement follows: As athletes and as members of the larger Bowdoin College community, we are mindful that our actions affect the environment. We are committed to helping the College attain its goal of carbon neutrality by 2020, and we pledge to work as a team to lessen our environmental impact. Our teams will construct specific goals in order to increase sustainability and create a community of environmental stewardship on the Bowdoin campus. 

Since 2011, the Green Athletics Program has worked with the sustainability office and athletics department to incorporate sustainability into Bowdoin’s athletic operations. One of the program’s main initiatives is the Team Challenge, which is a friendly competition between Bowdoin’s athletic teams aimed to promote sustainable behavior and reduce overall waste. Teams are given a set of green challenges that include limiting their showers, collecting recyclables and food waste on away trips, using reusable water bottles, and volunteering at Green Athletic events. Each team nominates an eco rep who reports back to the Green Athletics coordinator on the weekly efforts of their team. Team eco reps also suggest new ideas to further improve sustainability within the athletic department. 

Green Athletics participates in the EPA GameDay Challenge, a nationwide competition among colleges and universities designed to divert waste and spread sustainability awareness at home football games. The program also organizes Green Games to increase the environmental presence at athletic events and to engage with fans by instructing them on how to properly dispose of their waste. 

Other events the Green Athletics team hosted in 2023–2024 included a "Garden with Green Athletics" work day at the Bowdoin Organic Garden to raise awareness about the garden; a used athletic gear drive to redistribute used gear rather than trashing it; and a Plant Powered lunch talk with Bowdoin's dietician to talk about a plant based diet for athletes.  

In addition to the above listed outreach and engagement efforts, Bowdoin prides itself on the green and efficient athletic facilities on campus. Watson Arena, constructed in 2009, was the first LEED certified collegiate ice arena in the country. Two years later Bowdoin opened the new LEED-silver certified Buck Center for Health and Fitness. The Whittier Field House located next to the football and lacrosse field as well as the outdoor track achieved LEED certification in 2019. Older athletic facilities have had lights updated to LED lights and the air handling systems in Farley Field House have been updated to reduce energy consumption. 

The Town of Brunswick’s aquifer protection zone includes Bowdoin’s Whittier Field, home of Bowdoin’s football team. Because of this designation, the College began treating the field organically in 2002. Utilizing an organic program of aeration, compost tea, and hand weeding. Bowdoin has expanded the organic treatment across 60 percent of the central campus, including the Cleaveland Quad, main quad, Coe Quad, and the president’s residence and guest house. The treatments utilize ingredients such as corn gluten, seaweed, bone meal, and manure, and pest deterrents such as red pepper and garlic oils. 

In recent years, as a means of conserving water, the College installed a below-ground irrigation system on athletic fields at Pickard Field and the main and Cleaveland Quads. These systems monitor the moisture in the soil and only water accordingly. The systems are automated to operate in the early morning hours before the sun rises to reduce evaporation during the watering cycle. The campus maintains a mowing height of 2.5 to 3 inches, which encourages deeper root growth, thus reducing the need for watering. Utilizing mulching mowers, grass clippings are left on the lawn. On the rare occasion when they need to be removed, the clippings are composted.