Courtesy: Stanford Athletics
Sustainability is a core value in all aspects of university operations, and Stanford Athletics is no exception. The Department of Athletics, Physical Education, and Recreation (DAPER) is committed to reducing its environmental footprint and raising awareness among the millions of students, athletes and visitors that participate in its programs throughout each year.
DAPER operates 70 buildings on the Stanford campus, totaling almost 800,000 square feet, and has taken significant strides to address energy and water conservation and minimize waste in each of them. Participation from our fans and community is essential to truly make a Sustainable Stanford: see how you can support Cardinal Green Athletics below!
Join the Cardinal Green Athletics Team!
• Use our Sustainable Tailgate Checklist to plan your next tailgating event
• Stanford Athletics has expanded recycling and compost bin locations throughout its facilities: make sure you're #WinningAtBinning by properly sorting your recyclables, compostables, and trash
• Bring empty, reusable water bottles to use at the water refilling stations
• Don't forget you're using precious water; try to keep showers in the rec center to five minutes or less
• Carpool or use alternative transport (like
Caltrain or the free
Marguerite Shuttle) to get to the game
• Bring clear trash bags to tailgates to help separate your waste (clear bags help people see what's inside!)
• Donate used athletics gear (especially shoes!) at the Stanford Recycling center at the corner of Serra Street and Campus Drive
• Sign up for
My Cardinal Green to receive a customized list of other ways to reduce your impact – and earn a reward! (Must have a SUNet ID to participate)
Milestone sustainability achievements:
2016-2017
• A 636 kW solar installation was installed on top of Maples Pavilion - the largest of any building on campus
• Paper towel composting launched in the Arrillaga Center for Sports and Recreation (ACSR)
• Compost bins were added at Stanford Stadium during football season for the first time, more than doubling the Stadium diversion rates from 2015
• Outdoor waste stations with recycling, composting, and landfill bins added to eight locations surrounding Athletics venues
2015-2016
• Student representatives from Students for a Sustainable Stanford, Stanford Students Environmental Consulting (SSEC), and Cardinal Council partnered to reduce the environmental impact of athletic-related travel, securing enough funding to offset all 2015 varsity team air travel emissions - a total of 2,640 metric tons.
• Stanford joined the Pac-12 Green Sports Group
• Stanford Stadium recycled over 23 tons of material during the 2015 football season
• Avery Aquatic Center underwent an LED lighting retrofit
• Athletics saved 6.7 million gallons of potable water and 15 million gallons of non-potable water
2015 and earlier
• 7,300 sq. ft. of lawn was converted to artificial turf to save water
• Four high efficiency water fountains were added to Arrillaga Family Sports Center, reducing the need for 50,000 water bottles in just one year
• Green Sports Alliance toured Stanford Stadium; SaveOnEnergy.com ranked the university 2nd in stadium sustainability among the top-25 ranked football programs that year
Read More
Fact Sheet:
Cardinal Green Stanford Athletics
Stanford Report
Interview with Athletics Director Bernard Muir
Another simple way to reduce energy is signing up for your free SunPower solar evaluation (below).
SunPower is proud to be the chosen solar provider for Stanford University. SunPower is building the all-new Stanford Solar Generating Station which will be comprised of 150,000 high efficiency SunPower® solar panels and is expected to provide half of all campus electricity, and also teamed up with the Stanford Athletics to help Cardinal fans go solar too.
As a Stanford Athletics supporter, you may be eligible to receive an exclusive $500 mail-in rebate with the purchase or lease of a SunPower solar system for your home.
See what you might save when you switch to solar!
More About SunPower