| Overall Rating | Gold |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 66.09 |
| Liaison | Elizabeth Drake |
| Submission Date | March 3, 2023 |
Swarthmore College
IN-16: Green Athletics
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
0.25 / 0.50 |
Elizabeth
Drake Director of Sustainability Office of Sustainability |
Does the institution’s green athletics program include the following?:
| Yes or No | |
| Zero waste and/or carbon neutral athletic events | Yes |
| A stadium or arena certified under a green building rating system | No |
| A sustainable food and beverage purchasing program that includes athletic event vendors and concessions | Yes |
| A program to minimize the sustainability impacts of turf management (e.g., by installing low input turfgrass or environmentally preferable artificial turf) | No |
| A program to support more sustainable transportation options for athletic events | No |
| Community engagement efforts, e.g. to educate students and fans/supporters about the institution’s sustainability initiatives | Yes |
| An athletic team certification program | Yes |
A brief description of the institution’s green athletics program:
Swarthmore's Garnet Go Green host Go Green Games at which a composting system is implemented alongside more sustainable concession options. Garnet Go Green members are present at the event to answer questions about sustainability efforts for fans at the game and on campus. Garnet Go Green additionally has helped to green the Athletic's Department end of the year event held for approximately 300 guests. At the banquet, compostable dinnerware is used, a bring your own water bottle (BYOWB) campaign is initiated and water bottle refill stations are present to eliminate cans and bottles as much as possible form the event.
During the 2019-2020 school year, the men's and women's basketball teams participated in a "3's for Trees" campaign inspired by the Portland Trailblazers, that planted a tree for every three-pointer made by a Swarthmore player. This totaled to 331 trees, which will be planted in collaboration with the grounds staff in the coming year.
Varsity sports teams are also graded on a system developed by the Garnet Go Green student team according to their sustainability performance (which comprises of spreading awareness on their social media accounts, conducting donation drives, using reusable water bottles, and composting at away games).
The Athletics department also has a Sustainability Mission Statement (https://swarthmoreathletics.com/documents/2018/11/7//Sustainability_Mission_Statement.pdf?id=1319) that commits the department to educating the community about the benefits of environmentally-friendly practices. For example, during "Zero Waste Games", designated zero-waste ambassadors are stationed near trash receptacles to answer questions about the effort and help attendees sort compostable and recyclable materials into the appropriate containers in support of the College's zero waste goals.
Website URL where information about the green athletics program is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
The information for this credit was compiled by representatives from the Office of Sustainability.
The information for this credit was compiled by representatives from the Office of Sustainability.
The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.