Environmental Education

ENVIRONMENTAL
EDUCATION
or administrative areas from snacks or
meals during break time. We also run a
laundry facility, and it produces 80 to
120 gallons of lint a week that can also
be composted.”
The recreation department’s staff
kitchen at Sonoma State University uses
real cups and silverware in an effort to
“diminish the amount of disposables that
Underlayment for Point-Elastic Flooring
in multiple Grades
E-Layers for Athletic Fields
Fitness Room Flooring in multiple Colors
Heavy-Duty Free-Weight Area Flooring
CIRCLE 34 ON REPLY CARD
we have in the
NEW SPIN
building,” says
Excess Frisbees
serve as plates at
campus recreation
Sonoma State.
director Pam Su,
adding that the department has even
put a new spin on excess promotional
Frisbees: spill-proof lunch plates. “It’s
important to be conscious of the lifecycle
of items coming into your possession,”
46 ATHLETIC BUSINESS APRIL 2008 ATHLETICBUSINESS.COM
1-800-660-8793
info@kraiburg-relastec-na.com
kraiburg-relastec.com/sportec
Su says. “Can items be turned into new
items? And if they do have to be disposed
of, will they break down easily or
sit in a landfill for years?” Southern Illinois
University Edwardsville’s recreation
department has taken steps to minimize
the amount of Styrofoam it contributes
to landfills by selling beverages at its
poolside concessions stand in reusable
32-ounce bottles. The drinks sell for
$2.50, but can be refilled on subsequent
visits for 50 cents. Says SIUE assistant
director of recreation Keith Becherer, “In
the long run, it’s going to save everyone
money and it’s going to save a lot in
terms of the environment.”
By accepting such measures, and in
many cases demanding them, college
students are helping set a national agenda
of environmental stewardship — in recreation
settings and beyond. “Because campuses
are like little towns all their own, the
passion that students have for this topic
lends itself to the movement in a big way,”
says Katherine Otten, assistant director of
marketing for the National Intramural-
Recreational Sports Association, a member
of the Higher Education Associations
Sustainability Consortium. “Campuses are
in a unique position. Not only can they take
steps to reduce their carbon footprint, they
can also help spread the word and educate
people. They can really be at the forefront
to effect change beyond their borders.”
“Depending on where they are in the
country, some people are having a much
easier time addressing sustainability on
their campuses than others,” says Su,
who presented “Greening Your Operations”
at NIRSA’s 2007 Recreation Facilities
Institute in October. “There are some
people who are hitting their heads
against a wall because they don’t even
have a recycling program. Some campuses
out there have larger challenges, and
they have to start with baby steps.”
Many schools just need a little push,
PHOTO COURTESY OF SONOMA STATE UNIVERSITY