Turn Your Rec Center into an Eco-Gym

The topic of sustainability has been dominating conversations around universities for the past few years. The majority of hype surrounding the conversation is due to the fact that current and prospective students are significantly more interested in “going green” than the generations that have attended in the past. Students today are constantly seeking innovative ways to reduce their carbon footprint and are praising brands and institutions that align with their eco-friendly views.

As a result, sustainability departments within universities have become more and more common. The programs implemented by these departments aim to reach a variety of goals such as reducing greenhouse gas emissions or reducing waste per capita on campus. However, existing recreation centers are commonly not highly involved with these goals.

Turning a Rec Center into an Eco-Gym has never been easier. These 5 simple changes can make your facility greener while also getting students involved:

• Switch to low-flow toilets and low-consumption showerheads to reduce water usage in locker rooms by anywhere from 20-60%.
• Go paperless whenever possible, and use recycled materials when necessary (bathrooms for example).
• Have 3 separate containers for trash, compostable materials, and recyclable materials. This will greatly reduce the amount of waste sent to landfills and will allow more materials to be recycled.
• Reduce facilities’ energy dependence by producing your own energy via solar, wind, and human energy. Request to use only green renewable energy from the power company to make sure that you are as green as possible.
• Unplug machines and displays when not in use to reduce unneeded amp draw. With such large amounts of electronic machines plugged in for hours while not in use, the extra amps being pulled can really add up over a month or a year!

Incorporating sustainable solutions or even sustainable competitions can be a great way to get students involved in the rec center while working towards lowering the facility’s carbon footprint. Adding an eco element to the physical work students are looking to accomplish in the gym provides them with a chance to actively make a difference; a social media element on top of that that include competitions and image sharing can also get your school’s green identity in front of a larger audience. Overall, embracing the above tips and ideas can incentivize more students to visit your facility in order to make the world more sustainable — one workout at a time.

Ivo Grossi is the vice president of sales at SportsArt. For more information on how to start turning your campus rec center into an eco-gym visit http://us.gosportsart.com/en/about-eco-powr/, call 425-481-9879, or email igrossi@gosportsart.com.