| Overall Rating | Gold |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 70.87 |
| Liaison | Daimon Eklund |
| Submission Date | Dec. 23, 2021 |
University of Washington, Seattle
IN-16: Green Athletics
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
0.25 / 0.50 |
Claudia
Frere-Anderson Director UW 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 | Yes |
| A sustainable food and beverage purchasing program that includes athletic event vendors and concessions | No |
| 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 | 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:
The University of Washington Department of Athletics is committed to a sustainable future through innovative programs, ever-increasing waste diversion goals and sustainable building practices.
UW's football program is committed to Zero Waste, and has waste diversion outreach programs at every home game. The Athletics Green Team recruits volunteers who are stationed throughout Husky Stadium and tailgating areas before and during games to encourage proper recycling and composting and educate fans on Zero Waste and other sustainability efforts.
Husky Stadium is certified LEED Silver after a 2012 renovation. During construction, over 95% of construction waste was reused or recycled. Concrete removed from the lower bowl was crushed on site and reused for fill under the current structure. The stadium was renovated using Salmon Safe practices, using two large retention ponds to filter all waste water before entering Lake Washington. Additionally, existing trees and shrubs were saved and replanted on site after construction.
Husky Stadium is located next to the University of Washington light rail station, and communications with fans encourages the use of light rail or other public transit options. Fans can take express buses to UW football home games from area Metro Park & Ride locations, and many regular bus routes serve the stadium as well.
UW also provides a free bike valet for fans who bike to the games using the regional Burke-Gilman Trail which runs directly past the stadium.
The Athletics Green Team has many community engagement efforts, including gameday volunteers to educate fans about proper recycling and composting. Green Team volunteers also circulate throughout tailgating areas using the "Go Green Huskies cart" – a golf-cart style vehicle. Volunteers handed out blue bags for recycling throughout the tailgating areas while providing information on proper recycling/composting, and also encouraging fans to follow the Green Team's social media channels for prize chances.
Outside of football games, the Green Team regularly tables at events across campus with outreach materials on UW Athletics' sustainability efforts, and at least one game each season for each varsity sport is designated a "Green Game" where sustainability is featured with educational materials and prize giveaways.
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 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.