Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 50.41
Liaison David Tedder
Submission Date Sept. 30, 2019
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

University of Kentucky
IN-4: Green Athletics

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 0.50 / 0.50 Shane Tedder
Sustainability Coordinator
Office oF Sustainability
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Does the institution’s green athletics program include the following?:
Yes or No
Zero waste and/or carbon neutral athletic events No
A stadium certified under a green building rating system Yes
A sustainable food and beverage purchasing program that includes athletic event vendors and concessions Yes
A program to minimize the use of potable water and chemicals in turf maintenance and groundskeeping Yes
A program to support more sustainable transportation options for athletic events Yes
Community engagement efforts, e.g. to educate students and fans/supporters about the institution’s sustainability initiatives Yes
An athletic team certification program No

A brief description of the institution’s green athletics program, including the specific initiatives selected above:

UK Athletics has a Sustainability Team. This group works with a range of campus parters to set annual goals and implement new programs.

Kroger Field, our football stadium, achieved LEED silver following a significant renovation in 2016. https://uknow.uky.edu/campus-news/kroger-field-awarded-prestigious-leed-silver-certification

Concessions in athletics venues are coordinated by UK Dining included in our local purchasing programs. In addition, the UK Athletics Sustainability Action Plan includes this target for food and dining:
t takes a lot to fuel 500 student-athletes for peak performance, but in doing so we have set a goal of zero waste at our training tables. We are also making a commitment to increase the amount of food we purchase from local Kentucky suppliers and expand to new local partners each year. Finally, we are working to eliminate the use of polystyrene in our food and dining operations.

With regards to groundskeeping, the UK Athletics Sustainability Action Plan (ASAP) includes this target:
We have also set a goal to reduce usage of nitrogen-based products by 50% in the maintenance of our grounds. We will also mitigate usage of phosphorous and potassium products to continually improve air and water quality.

UK ASAP transportation targets and commitments:
Our shuttle program has been in place for home football games for years. We will work to further promote it to fans, as well as commit to establishing ride-sharing programs for fans attending our events. We are also working to provide bicycle parking at all athletics facilities and engaging with our partners on campus to connect all of our facilities to campus with safe and accessible sidewalks for fans.

The UK ASAP focuses on fan engagement on our waste diversion goals during home sporting events and includes this language:
UK Athletics has significantly expanded its recycling operation to include every on-campus facility on game day – from Kroger Field to Memorial Coliseum and everywhere in between. We are also working to encourage participation by fans and students and asking the entire Big Blue Nation to join in. At football games, we have set a goal to reach a 25% diversion rate by the end of the 2022 season.

The


The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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