The Fall 2022 semester was a busy one for Green Athletics, which executed several impressive projects including an environmental literacy survey, a plant-based snack series and a sustainable locker room pilot.
Green Athletics is a group of student athlete leaders committed to promoting sustainable practices within the UVA athletic community, building a connection between sports and environmentalism through acts of engagement, education and service. Under the guidance of the UVA Office for Sustainability (OFS), Green Athletics promotes University sustainability goals and initiatives, focusing specifically on outreach and engagement. Each year, Green Athletics plans and executes a range of projects and events to promote sustainable thought and practice among student athletes, coaches and administrators.
Over the Fall 2022 semester, Green Athletics delivered five projects.
1
A promotional partnership with Virginia Football. Beginning in 2010, OFS partnered with Virginia Athletics to reduce landfilled waste at one home football game each season. In 2018, the effort was renewed, earning a new name: Green Game.
This past semester, OFS embarked on a new challenge: making every home football game a Green Game. To support this endeavor, OFS developed a strategy for fan engagement including signage around the stadium, loudspeaker announcements, and big screen graphics. Green Athletics worked specifically on the big screen graphics, partnering with communications staff to get promotional footage of football players endorsing sustainability. These recorded statements were used to advertise Green Games on Instagram and played at home games on the big screen. Given their prominent role at UVA, Green Athletics believes in the power of student athletes to inspire sustainable action on Grounds. Going forward, we hope to develop projects similar to this one, further elevating the student athlete voice.
2
An environmental literacy survey executed by Green Athletics. The survey was developed in the Fall semester of 2021 and sent to student athletes for the first time in the Spring semester of 2022. To encourage responses, Green Athletics members tabled in the athlete dining hall, providing succulents to every survey participant. After two nights of tabling, we received over 55 survey responses. Compared to last year, the participant demographic was more diverse, demonstrating participation from a greater number of sports teams. Despite a change in participation, survey results were largely the same.
Green Athletics found that while students indicated a strong interest in sustainability and a basic understanding of its definition, they were generally unsure about specifics and unaware of UVA Sustainability initiatives. To address this knowledge gap, Green Athletics posted the survey results and correct answers on its Instagram. Moving forward, we hope to continue our efforts to educate student athletes about sustainability and encourage more sustainable behaviors in the athletic community.
3
The plant-based snack series, This is a continuation of an educational effort that began in the Fall Semester of 2021. Every month, Green Athletics provides plant-based snacks in our athlete dining hall. The goal is to educate student athletes about plant-based nutrition and provide them with opportunities to sample healthy treats. Last semester, we provided vegan rice crispy treats, peanut butter energy balls and zucchini bread. We have found that student athletes are interested in sampling the snacks and willing to learn more about cooking plant-based meals themselves. We are excited to continue this monthly series in the Spring semester.
4
A locker room sustainability pilot project. Green Athletics partnered with the Virginia Women’s Rowing Team for this project. Upon observing the number of hygiene products in single-use plastic containers being used in the locker room showers, Green Athletics worked with the rowers to develop a solution. Rather than purchasing hygiene products for individual use, athletes were asked to contribute to the purchase of communal bulk products and aluminum pump bottles. This change not only reduced individual expense, but dramatically decreased the team’s reliance on single-use plastics in the locker room. Overall the pilot has been a great success, demonstrating the potential for replicability across the athletic department. Green Athletics hopes to expand this project to more teams going forward.
5
Partnership with UVA IM Rec. This effort supports a tennis ball recycling program called Aces for Earth. Aces for Earth began in New Jersey in 2021 and was brought to UVA this past semester through the work of 2nd-year student, Ava Samay. To increase awareness about the program, Green Athletics designed signage to accompany the recycling bins and filmed a promotional video with Ava and IM Rec. Projects like this are an example of collaboration with stakeholders from across Grounds. Green Athletics believes in the importance of working with other organizations and hopes to build more partnerships in the Spring semester.
Overall, it was a great semester for Green Athletics. The group worked to educate student athletes, engage fans, and implement new sustainable programs. We feel proud of what we have accomplished and excited to continue making progress in the Spring semester.
Interested in staying updated on Green Athletics happenings? Follow @virginiagreenathletics on Instagram!
Cameron Bentley is a 3rd-year in the College of Arts and Sciences, studying Environmental Thought and Practice. She is a member of the Virginia Women’s Rowing Team and the leader of Green Athletics. Cameron is committed to engaging and educating the UVA athletic community about sustainability. She hopes to inspire other athletes to become environmental advocates.