By Craig Morgan, special to TheSunDevils.com
TEMPE, Ariz. -- Sun Devil Athletics' track record of innovation and community responsibility earned prestigious recognition this week. The National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) and USG Corporation chose Arizona State as the winner of its second annual Sustainability Award on Wednesday.
The award recognizes NACDA member institutions across all divisions, and honors athletics directors and universities for incorporating sustainable practices and materials into their athletic facilities.
"It's important to the environment, it's important to Arizona State and it's in keeping with President Crow's initiative to be carbon neutral by 2025 so we're doing everything we can," Senior Associate Athletic Director of Operations and Facilities Mike Chismar said. "I think this award says we want to be cutting edge in everything we do and sustainability is a critical part of that."
A seven-person committee of athletic directors, USG and NACDA representatives chose the winner. Louisville and South Dakota State were the other finalists. Arizona State will receive $30,000 in product from USG as the winner. Louisville and South Dakota State will each receive $10,000 in product from USG to recognize the sustainable efforts on their campuses.
"Congratulations to Ray and his staff at Arizona State for receiving the second annual USG NACDA Sustainability Award," said NACDA Executive Director Bob Vecchione. "The renovation of Sun Devil Stadium has allowed for a nationally-recognized facility to exhibit model practices in terms of sustainability in college athletics. The construction of the Weatherup Center set the tone for ASU and it has also been impressive to watch the transformation of the entire football complex."
Sun Devil athletics facilities maintenance manager Pete Wozniak said the initiative began in 2007 when the department set a goal of getting all of the recycling hauled out of Sun Devil Stadium and re-purposed.
"In four or five years we grew to 40,000 tons of recycling from games and day-to-day operations," he said. "It was the right thing to do."
Since then, the department has adopted a zero-waste policy across all athletic venues, it is using LED lights to reduce energy costs and heat gain, it has worked with partners such as Sodexo to use recyclable cups and other products, and the custodial staffs are using all green products from the cleaning supplies to the hand towels to the toilet paper to the hand soap in recyclable containers in the restrooms.
"It's all those things that people don't even think about," Wozniak said. "We're getting there but we still have a long way to go."
The athletics department already sponsors zero-waste events with the football, volleyball, soccer, wrestling, gymnastics, men's and women's basketball, baseball and softball programs. Chismar and Wozniak said future plans include expanding the recycling efforts to the parking lots and organized tailgates outside Sun Devil Stadium.
Chismar believes the university has a large and visible platform it can use to enact positive change.
"We're looking at ways to continue to grow the program in everything we do," he said.
Two of Sun Devils Athletics facilities earned special recognition for the award.
Facility: Sun Devil Stadium
Architect: Gould Evans/HTNB
The flagship facility for Sun Devil Athletics, Sun Devil Stadium, is currently in Phase II of a three-year phased reinvention of the iconic football venue. Sun Devil Stadium is currently pending LEED certification and has a preliminary scorecard from the USGB to monitor its progress (attached). The construction on the stadium is anticipated to be completed in 2017, making way for full LEED certification.
Facility: Weatherup Center
Architect: Gould Evans/HOK Spot
Sun Devil Athletics has also made sustainability a priority in its new construction and development. In the spring of 2009 Sun Devil Athletics completed construction on the Weatherup Center, the home to the Sun Devil men's and women's basketball programs. The Weatherup Center also has the distinction of being the first athletic practice facility in the nation to become LEED-certified, earning v2+ Gold status. The facility used renewable maple wood flooring and a large portion of the construction on the building used recycled and locally manufactured materials. The solar panels installed on the roof of the Weatherup Center provide 45 percent of the building's energy and occupancy censors and window shades help conserve the energy.
"Arizona State embraces sustainability as a core value campus wide, and we're honored to receive the USG NACDA Sustainability Award, an award that recognizes ASU's commitment to promoting sustainable practices," Ray Anderson, vice president for university athletics, said. "Athletics is a prominent component of the University and we are proud to leverage that exposure to advance ASU's key initiatives and promote sustainable change."
Follow Craig Morgan on Twitter
