GAC lends eco-lens to athletic discussion

Author: Peter Baumann

Two of the things Middlebury students, benefactors and administrators hold dear are the College's commitment to environmental sustainability and its continued athletic success. Perhaps, then, it should come as no surprise that the Middlebury College Athletic Department leads the way among peer institutions in terms of its cognizance of environmental issues.

Two years ago, when Middlebury Athletic Director Erin Quinn '86 was hiring nordic ski coach Andrew Gardner, he noticed a unique opportunity. Because of the size of Middlebury's Athletic Department, every coach must have a secondary responsibility (assistant coach in another sport, for example), and given Gardner's interest and knowledge of environmental issues, Quinn decided to make him the department's Environmental Sustainability Coordinator.

"After we hired Andrew it became clear that one of his strengths was environmental sustainability," said Quinn. "I thought this was a great opportunity given Middlebury's environmental focus and the size of our athletic programs."

With the hiring of Gardner, Middlebury began what has been a two-year movement toward increased understanding of the myriad environmental issues posed by high-level, intercollegiate athletics.

"I think sports is a place where sustainability is often overlooked," said Gardner when asked what his benefits Middlebury receives from having someone in his position. "The biggest advantage is knowing that we are looking at sports through green eyes."

Quinn agrees, noting that while the department is just beginning its focus on issues of environmental stability, the biggest change is that now the department looks at every decision through an environmental lens. While this perspective is not the singular focus of athletic discussions, it is nonetheless a vast improvement over the majority of Division III schools where athletic sustainability is an afterthought.

In addition to Gardner, Quinn also relies on a Green Athletics Committee (GAC) to help provide sustainability advice and insight to the department. The GAC is composed of members of the facilities, communications, athletics and other departments from around the College and provides breadth to its discussions. While the lack of recent athletic renovations have lead to a decreased role for the GAC, the committee has still been an important player in the two major projects that Middlebury athletics has undergone in the last year: the renovation of Nelson Arena and the FieldTurf surface installed at Youngman Field.

Youngman Field in particular presented a plethora of issues for the GAC to tackle with.

"On one hand there is a benefit to the environment from switching to a turf field in that we don't have to use any pesticides or gasoline for mowers," says Quinn. "But on the other hand there is not much data on the environmental or health effects of the relatively new FieldTurf surfaces."

After receiving the blessings of Gardner, the GAC and an independent environmental consultant, the department decided to proceed with construction with one caveat: because there was so little data on the effects, Middlebury would conduct its own analysis. Today Middlebury tests the water runoff from the field with an eye towards both health and sustainability issues. The result, as Gardner put it, is that "Bob Ritter's [football] team is playing on the most researched turf in the league."

In addition to their work with Youngman Field, the GAC has been instrumental in several small incremental changes around the athletic facilities. When the Nelson indoor tennis courts were resurfaced, Gardner and the GAC suggested using more sustainable lighting in the building, an idea that Quinn quickly supported.

According to Quinn, it is in little suggestions such as those that the GAC and Gardner make their presence known. While he is forced to look at things through economic, athletic and academic viewpoints, Quinn can rely on the GAC and Gardner to make sure that sustainability is given a voice at the discussion table.

"These are issues we need to be thinking about, issues that are important," says Quinn. "Of course we are going to expend energy, but having a knowledgeable group of people is a good thing. We are trying to put an environmental lens on everything that we do."

It is also important to note that the department is currently very concerned with economic sustainability as well as environmental sustainability. But while some might see these two entities as competing for the department's attention, Quinn and Gardner recognize that the two are not mutually exclusive. A prime example of this is the department's decision to start putting two teams on buses when traveling to away games at the same location.

"Sustainability can and should have an environmental and economic connotation to it," said Quinn. "We recognized that we could reduce our carbon footprint on the road while simultaneously saving the department some money."

With its long history of athletic prowess and rapidly growing reputation for sustainability, it is only natural that the college would cultivate a successful union between these two forces. And while so far the changes have been incremental, the creation of an Environmental Sustainability Coordinator and the GAC are proof that the Athletic Department is serious in its focus on environmental issues.

It is Gardner's hope that more colleges and universities will soon follow Middlebury's lead and begin to provide ways in which sustainability can enter into the discourse surrounding athletic discussion.

"Athletic programs have specific administrators who represent women; administrators that represent following the rules," he said. "It seems an inevitability that there should be someone making sure that efficiency and sustainability are being followed."