Texas A&M University
IN-16: Green Athletics

The Athletics Department has restructured their sustainability efforts into four separate programs. Two are staff-led; two are student-athlete led:
• 12th Man Sustainability – group of staff who meet on a regular basis to design and implement a holistic sustainability program for the Athletic department
o Leadership group: Scot Obergefell – Facilities, Rebekah Parkhill – Administration, David Taylor – Facilities, Lauren Lichterman – Facilities
o 60+ working group members from all Athletic departments, other areas of campus, and Athletics’ partners
• 12th Man Green Team – student-athlete led group with a mission to improve education about our impact on the environment and instill proactive efforts in
student-athletes’ lifestyles and their futures.
• Aggie Commitment – the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiative within Aggie Athletics. The Aggie Commitment aims to develop and implement plans and
strategies to increase equity and maintain an environment of inclusiveness. The Aggie Commitment is focused on promoting unity, education, and engagement.
o Leadership group: Kristen Brown – Deputy Athletics Director, Mikado Hinson – Director of Football Player Development/Associate Diversity Director, Joe
Fields – Senior Associate Athletics Director, Student-Athlete Services and Administration, Ryan Pittsinger – Assistant Athletics Director, Director of
Counseling and Sport Psychology
• Aggie B.L.U.E. Print – “Black Leaders who Undertake Excellence” is a student-athlete led organization to provide leadership opportunities and a sense of
community while empowering Black individuals to use their voice

Below is a summary of the 12th Man Sustainability’s initiatives currently in place.

All athletic events have clearly marked recycling cans throughout the facility and are working towards a zero waste goal for all Athletics events. As part of our normal operation and service agreement with Brazos Valley Recycling, they sort through the trash collected, both after home athletic events as well as day to day, removing every item with the ability to be recycled or reused.
While we do not certify our stadiums under a green building rating system, we utilize green building practices in the design and maintenance of buildings when feasible. Green building features include low flow toilets, showerheads, and sinks, recirculating pumps on all hot water heaters, and separation of all disposal materials during construction.

TAMU contracts with Levy for in-game concessions and catering in hospitality spaces. Levy is currently participating in several sustainable purchasing initiatives:
• Souvenir cups are recyclable and are sold with the intent customers will retain them and reuse them at their homes. The cup was designed to fit on the top
rack of a standard residential dishwasher. This was implemented to prevent the cup from melting and the end-user discarding it in the “trash” can.
• New for the 2021 season, fans have the opportunity to purchase a commemorative refillable 12th Man Tervis tumbler for use during the game. Fans take this
high-quality product home with them, thus reducing the overall waste generated from beverage containers.
• New for the 2021 season, Pepsi self-serve refill stations are available on the concourse to all fans. Refill stations reduce the overall waste generated
from beverage containers.
• Food packaging from concessions to end-user are made from recyclable materials where feasible.
• Levy currently composts all back-of-house food waste from both athletic competitions and special events.
• Levy separates and recycles all cardboard and glass from athletic competitions and special events.
• Non-souvenir soda cups (purchased from Pepsi) are made from recyclable materials.
• % of concessions/catering locally-sourced

TAMU Athletics partners with Transportation Services to provide sustainable travel options for athletic events. For example, the following initiatives are available for football gameday:
• All TAMU bus routes are operating at $0 cost to anyone coming to campus.
• Average over 18,000 riders per game in 2021
• Park and Ride program – in 2021, averages over 2,300 participants per game from the single Park and Ride location. Due to COVID-19, we had to remove one of
the Park and Ride locations.
• VeoRide bikeshare program
• Athletics promotes these options to All ticket holders, donors, and students


TAMU Athletics has numerous community engagement efforts to advance our sustainability efforts.
• Public address announcement and video board ad at every home event providing information on the how, where, and what of athletic event recycling.
• Partnered with the student-athlete green team to broaden our reach through their current communication protocols.
• Created 12th Man Green Team (Student-Athlete Volunteer Team) to assist in communication and sustainability initiatives.
• Created social media accounts for 12th Man Sustainability to engage fans on Instagram and Twitter
• The 12th Man Green Team and Student-Athlete Advisory Committee partnered together to host a recycling drive for student-athletes (Fall 2021)
• 12th Man Green Team hosts events targeting student-athletes who have an interest in environmental sustainability initiatives such as watching documentaries
and having DIY craft nights to learn how to upcycle different items or create your own instead of purchasing new.
• Aggie Commitment hosted a book drive to support the United Way’s Book Bash (Fall 2021)


In addition, Athletics has or is taking actions not counted above.
• Participated in Utilities and Energy Services Energy Performance Improvement program. Results from successful participation resulted in avoiding $547,000 in
energy costs at Kyle Field.
• In process of producing a Strategic Sustainability Plan for the Athletics department. It will be the first of its kind among SEC peers and universities in
the state of Texas.