Sustainability in Athletics - Bowdoin Green Athletes

Bowdoin’s athletes may have another reason to support the College’s “Carbon Neutral by 2020” pledge, as the fate of our mascot may depend on it. Bowdoin Green Athletes (BGA), a student-run organization that collaborates with administrators, faculty, and staff, has taken the lead in this endeavor.

The College has already done much to incorporate sustainability into Bowdoin’s athletic operations; two of the campus’ three LEED-certified buildings include the Buck Fitness Center and the Watson Arena. Lighting at the College’s two basketball courts as well as at the track and tennis courts have been upgraded for efficiency in the past four years, and Bowdoin uses organic fertilizer treatments almost exclusively on its fields. In addition, the College has begun to implement paperless programs via Quick Response Codes for Smartphones and other devices; these virtual programs contain a wealth of information.

In the future, BGA aims to expand recycling and minimize waste during athletic contests, compile pledges from teams, and ultimately implement clothing and shoe recycling. Bridging various aspects of the campus in order to increase sustainability and serve the Common Good- that is the mission of Bowdoin’s Green Athletes. Go U (Green) Bears!

Green Athletes has team representatives from each team, who will work with their teams to come up with commitments to sustainability

Examples of 2012-13 Team Commitments include:

  • Men's Cross Country - recycle all trainings shoes
  • Sailing - implement zero-sort recycling at off-campus boathouse
  • Ultimate Frisbee - Trayless, reusable water bottles, stay off fields when raining
  • Women's Soccer - Minimize tape usage and paper towels
  • Men's Golf - Paper cup minimization, carpool to off-campus course
  • Men's Water Polo - donating caps at season-end, recycling at tournaments
  • Men's Swimming & Diving - lower heat in locker rooms during break/weekends, two-towel per week maximum
  • Women's Basketball - Locker room recycling and lights-off when last one out
  • Women's Hockey - Short showers, reusable containers for food, reduce plastic water bottle use

We have put up signs in campus locker rooms. For example, in Watson, they say: This locker room has low-flow showers, faucets, toilets, and urinals, which result in a 38% reduction in water use from that of normal fixtures.

We are planning to be the first NESCAC School to EPA Game Day Challenge, which measures how much waste can be recycled and composted at a football game.

Want to get involved/have any ideas? Contact Alex Tougas, atougas@bowdoin.edu