As a cross country and track runner at George Washington University, I recently became curious about how being an athlete makes my environmental footprint larger. I spoke to experts and did some research of my own to find out what kind of an impact college athletics has on the environment.

Human activity affects our planet and this research confirmed that college sports are no exception. Transportation, the energy and resources that go into maintaining athletic facilities, and the waste that is generated at sporting events are all contributors to this impact. 

However, it’s not all doom and gloom. Some schools are viewing these categories as areas of opportunity for improvement. If we can get more to adopt sustainability initiatives that address these issues, colleges have the potential to lead the way toward green athletics and student-athletes like myself can play an integral role in springing schools into action.