Pac-12 Joins UO Athletics in Green Sports Alliance
Ducks adore sporting events at the University of Oregon, but less appealing is all the waste and resource use that comes with them. Recognizing that the nature of sporting events causes wide-ranging environmental impacts, the UO athletic department is actively working to mitigate those impacts, and now so is the Pac-12 Conference.
The Pac-12 Conference office announced June 29 that it has officially joined the Green Sports Alliance (GSA), following the lead of the conference’s 12 institutions, which were already members of GSA.
“Our member universities have shown great leadership to minimize their athletics departments’ negative impact on the environment, and promote green habits to their fans and campuses at large,” Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott said. “We as a conference are thrilled to join the Alliance as we continue to push college sports in a modern, global and progressive direction.”
The University of Oregon became a member of the Green Sports Alliance in 2012. The Pac-12 is the first collegiate sports conference to count all its members as GSA participants.
“Oregon athletics is committed to playing a leadership role in the university’s greening efforts,” athletic director Rob Mullens said. “From individual offices to our complex of athletic venues, our staff, student-athletes and supporters are making a difference for the environment.”
Efforts within athletics have focused primarily on putting programs in place to reduce waste and increase diversion from landfills through recycling and composting efforts in offices and at events. The department also works to save energy, increase awareness amongst staff and athletes about their impacts and collaborate on environmental stewardship projects such as the ‘Mudstains for Flood Plains’ tree planting event at Mount Pisgah in the fall of 2014.
Most recently, UO associate director for operations and events Bob Beals was recognized May 21 at the inaugural UO Sustainability Awards ceremony as the recipient of the first-ever ‘Green Wings Award’ for his work to make UO Athletics more resource efficient. That event saw seven individuals from broad campus groups recognized for their contributions to the university’s environmental work in areas such as academics, research innovation and campus operations.
In addition to initiating several projects and programs, such as the recycling program at Autzen Stadium on football game days and work to improve systems and promote sustainable practices at events at historic Hayward Field, Beals is a longtime bicycle commuter. Beals celebrates his retirement from the University of Oregon this month.
UO Athletics is featured as a case study in a 2013 report by the Natural Resources Defense Council entitled ‘Collegiate Gamechangers—How Campus Sport is Going Green’ and further information about the athletic department’s sustainability committee and its work can be found here.
