Collegiate sports becoming greener: Survey

Bloomington, IN - A survey conducted from May through June 2013 by the University of Arizona Office of Sustainability and published by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC)* finds that more collegiate athletic teams are adopting green and sustainable practices in operation of their sports facilities.

The goal of the survey was to identify sustainability initiatives implemented in college varsity, campus recreation, and club sports programs in the United States and Canada. Additionally, researchers were trying to determine which campus groups were primarily responsible for implementing green initiatives.

Of the 1,200 respondents contacted by email, 175 completed the survey representing 148 colleges and universities, athletic conferences, and community colleges in the U.S. and Canada.

According to the survey, the top ten initiatives that have been implemented (in descending order) are the following:

Installation of recycle bins in public areas
Recycling programs in office areas
Recycling programs in non-public areas of the facility
Installation of bike racks and infrastructures to promote bicycle commuting
Upgraded lighting systems with more advanced controls
Selection of Green Cleaning products
Energy audits
Installation of recycling signage in public areas
Upgrading to water-efficient fixtures
Training of custodial staff on Green Cleaning practices and products

"While Green Cleaning-related initiatives are on the top ten list, we definitely would like to see those ranking even higher," says Stephen Ashkin, President of The Ashkin Group, and a board member of the Green Sports Alliance. "One of my goals with the Alliance is to have more sports venues-collegiate, professional, as well as community-use Green Cleaning products and methods."

As to who is most responsible for implementing the green and sustainable initiatives, the survey found it was primarily campus facility and sustainability departments followed by recreation and sports departments and athletics departments.

"While this is encouraging, we still have a ways to go," adds Ashkin. "However, because today's college students are so green- and sustainable-focused, I believe things will move along pretty fast in the next few years."

*NRDC is an environmental action group with 1.4 million members, among them lawyers, scientists and other professionals.

###

* Need-to-Know is an impartial news service produced by The Ashkin Group to provide building and cleaning professionals with news on sustainable issues that might impact their industries.

About Stephen Ashkin and The Ashkin Group

Stephen P. Ashkin is president of The Ashkin Group, a consulting firm specializing in Greening the cleaning industry, and CEO of Sustainability Dashboard Tools, which offers a cloud-based dashboardthat allows organizations to measure, report and improve their sustainability efforts. He is also

coauthor of both The Business of Green Cleaning and Green Cleaning for Dummies.

Ashkin has worked in the cleaning industry since 1981 and has held senior management positions in leading consumer and commercial product companies. He began his work on Green Cleaning in 1990 and today is thought of as the "father of Green cleaning". For more information, visitwww.AshkinGroup.com.

LPA Architects conducted a post-occupancy evaluation, or POE, of the eSTEM Academy, a new high school specializing in health/medical and design/engineering Career Technical Education, in Eastvale, Calif. The POE helped LPA, the Riverside County Office of Education, and the Corona-Norco Unified School District gain a better understanding of which design innovations—such as movable walls, flex furniture, collaborative spaces, indoor-outdoor activity areas, and a student union—enhanced the education program, and how well students and teachers used these innovations.

Interior designer Creative License International fashioned this community room for P83, a 250-unit rental community in Peoria, Ariz. 2021 Multifamily Amenities study

Multifamily Housing | Jul 7, 2021

Make sure to get your multifamily amenities mix right

One of the hardest decisions multifamily developers and their design teams have to make is what mix of amenities they’re going to put into each project. A lot of squiggly factors go into that decision: the type of community, the geographic market, local recreation preferences, climate/weather conditions, physical parameters, and of course the budget. The permutations are mind-boggling.

Industrial Facilities | Jul 2, 2021

A new approach to cold storage buildings

Cameron Trefry and Kate Lyle of Ware Malcomb talk about their firm's cold storage building prototype that is serving a market that is rapidly expanding across the supply chain.

A post-pandemic ‘new normal’ for apartments, Grimm + Parker, Building Design+Construction 2021 Exercise area

Multifamily Housing | Jun 30, 2021

A post-pandemic ‘new normal’ for apartment buildings

Grimm + Parker’s vision foresees buildings with rentable offices and refrigerated package storage.

Architects | Jun 30, 2021

Perkins Eastman joins forces with MEIS

MEIS’ work on stadiums and entertainment centers spans the globe with state-of-the-art designs in the U.S., Europe, Asia, and the Middle East.

Architects | Jun 25, 2021

AIA announces Small Project Award recipients

Now in its 18th year, the AIA Small Project Awards program recognizes small-project practitioners for the high quality of their work.

Work in existing buildings will prevail in 2021

Architects | Jun 24, 2021

Post-pandemic, architects need to advocate harder for project sustainability

An AIA-Oldcastle report looks closer at the coronavirus’s impact on design and construction

Resiliency | Jun 24, 2021

Oceanographer John Englander talks resiliency and buildings [new on HorizonTV]

New on HorizonTV, oceanographer John Englander discusses his latest book, which warns that, regardless of resilience efforts, sea levels will rise by meters in the coming decades. Adaptation, he says, is the key to future building design and construction.