Campus recreation centers nationwide have made sustainability a central focus of their philosophy and direction, saving money through different partnerships and initiatives, improving facility efficiency, and satisfying their student body’s push to use various sustainable practices in their day-to-day lives.
Whether your university or on-campus recreation center is large or small, implementing sustainable practices and green spaces can be easy. This can start with something small, like creating posters promoting recycling that hang across your facility, or with something bigger, like installing solar panels.
Regardless of a facility’s size, incorporating sustainable practices not only reduces environmental impact but also enhances operational efficiency and student satisfaction.
Whitney Crull promotes being green in several big and small ways at Elizabethtown College (Etown) in Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania. As the senior director for Student Involvement and Well-Being, Crull has helped implement a variety of sustainable equipment, materials and spaces in her campus recreation center.
EXTRA CREDIT: Actionable ideas of how to incorporate environmentally-friendly practices into your rec center.
“Etown is committed to enhancing sustainability efforts as our campus and community continue to grow and advance,” said Crull. “Our campus has numerous green initiatives and continues to look for opportunities to incorporate sustainability into all parts of campus and even into our student’s curriculum.”
The Bowers Center for Sports, Fitness and Well-Being on Etown’s campus was designed with sustainability at the forefront, yet has still found ways to grow upon its green practices.
To promote reducing carbon footprints, the center has a small parking lot with electric car charging stations to encourage walking or biking to the facility. To further this encouragement, there’s a bike storage closet on-site and a bike share program for students. They can lend the center’s Dynamic Bikes for one week to get around campus.
Also found in the building are:
- Various recycling receptacles.
- Refillable water stations.
- Sage glass windows that adjust with the light outside to optimize comfort levels inside.
“These spaces and initiatives set a high standard for other areas on campus,” said Crull. “Both potential and current students are impressed by the up-to-date features as sustainability is a recurring theme of concern for this population of students.”
Crull said while a push for sustainability is important, it’s only beneficial if it’s easy to use and cost efficient, something she determines through vendor partnerships. While items can be efficient and the most sustainable, they may not be feasible long-term for your recreation center.
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To address this, Crull looks to ensure continuity between all of her initiatives being set forth which helped Etown recreation earn LEED Silver certification through working closely with its Environmental Service and Facilities teams and by using and purchasing sustainable products for the building.
Ben Ellis, the interim director of Campus Recreation at Sonoma State University, said his campus recreation center is certified with the Green Business certification from the Bay Area Green Business Standards and has been for over a decade. To achieve this, the center was built using sustainable materials and is designed to draw warmth from the sun. Plus, 90% of the furniture in the building is repurposed or made of recycled materials.
This success was achieved through intentional, step-by-step planning across every aspect of the recreation center — from equipment to furniture. This approach can be applied in any facility by listing off potential places for improvement and addressing smaller day-one fixes.
EXTRA CREDIT: Why it’s important to educate students on your green initiatives.
The Facilities management team at Sonoma State cleans the center using natural cleaning products that are water-soluble and don’t contain volatile organic compounds. The best part is students voted on the sustainability features of the building when the center was originally being constructed. “The Recreation Center was a building voted on by the student population and paid for by student fees,” said Ellis. “The sustainable features were what the students wanted.”
After the students voted, the architecture team designed the building with specific green goals in mind, including ones dedicated to conserving energy and water. Ellis said the design and sustainability practices that have been in place since the center’s opening have overall lowered long-term costs associated with maintaining the building.
Ellis added the success of practicing sustainability in campus recreation centers comes from adaptability and willingness to make adjustments when needed. He recommended taking into consideration long-term climate trends for the area and preparing for potential fires, heat events and flooding.
Steve Thompson, the director of Campus Recreation at the University of Montana, has also had positive feedback from his students on such initiatives.
“Having sustainability as a core value codified our work. The students have had an overwhelmingly positive reaction to our efforts, and appreciate our department has their future interests in mind,” said Thompson.
While some sustainability initiatives are more noticeable, Thompson said the best sustainability products are the ones that go unnoticed — visually and in the checkbook.
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“I would recommend making your initial investment in a consultant who can determine which projects will give you the most bang for your buck. Some projects look really great, like solar for instance, but you may be able to make a far greater impact by investing in projects that aren’t as initially visible,” said Thompson.
Similar to Thompson, Crull and Ellis work with consultants whether it be through contractors, architects, design teams or facility management. Support from a sustainability consultant is worth hiring for, as it has saved them money, time and energy.
Since his time at the university, Campus Recreation has adopted many ‘unnoticed’ sustainable initiatives like:
- Recommissioning the HVAC system.
- Installing speed drives on the pool’s primary pump.
- Upgrading the insulation on water pipes.
The center also has installed solar panels and recycling and composting stations throughout the facility, along with LED lighting and more.
Thompson said investing in efficiency and sustainability is important and is seen by students and university faculty and staff. “Spaces are brighter, better ventilated and more temperate,” he explained. “This doesn’t go unnoticed by our membership.”
Making sustainability a part of your campus rec center mission can benefit you, your members and your operating costs. Starting with low-cost, high-impact changes — like LED lighting — can help rec centers enhance efficiency and sustainability while meeting your students’ expectations.
Building a greener campus rec facility benefits not just the environment but also the bottom line.
