If you’re interested in the environment and reducing your carbon footprint, you may want to select a school that is dedicated to environmentally sound practices. One way to find a college that is focused on the environment is to look for a university that has a green friendly football stadium. Below are five schools that have constructed stadiums with a focus on energy efficiency and reducing waste.
University of Minnesota’s TCF Bank Stadium
TCF Bank Stadium was the first stadium in college or professional sports to earn a LEED certification, which is awarded to buildings that feature a variety of sustainable elements and reduce waste and energy consumption. The stadium was designed with a reflective roof to reduce the amount of energy required to heat and cool the structure. It also takes advantage of energy efficient lighting and elevators, and low-flow plumbing was installed to reduce water use. Currently, the university is working on plans to renovate their existing buildings to meet higher energy efficiency standards.
University of Washington’s Husky Stadium
The renovation of Husky Stadium was completed in 2013, and it won the USG NACDA Sustainability Award in 2015. The stadium is also expected to receive a LEED medal for the variety of energy saving systems and policies that the school uses to keep waste down. Examples of this include lights that are motion activated and dim and brighten based on the time of day as well as low flow fixtures in restrooms and locker rooms. The stadium is just one of many university’s environmentally friendly structures; there are already 28 LEED certified buildings on the campus.
University of North Texas’ Apogee Stadium
Apogee Stadium features a number of environmentally friendly systems, one of the most impressive being the three wind turbines that have helped reduce the stadium’s energy consumption by about 25 percent. Also of note are the facts that three-quarters of the waste from construction was recycled and didn’t end up in a landfill, and the use of low flow fixtures has reduced water use by 50 percent. As a result of the university’s efforts, it was the first college football stadium in the country to be given LEED’s platinum award.
Texas A&M’s Kyle Field
In spite of the fact that Kyle Field is noted for being one of the most luxurious facilities in college football – it is the fourth largest stadium in the NCAA – the stadium is still very environmentally friendly. The stadium makes use of energy efficient lighting, lighting sensors and eco-efficient escalators and elevators, and eco-friendly construction practices were employed while the stadium was being built. Green building practices are commonplace at Texas A&M; the school grew by 25 percent in the last decade, but energy use declined by 40 percent.
University of California’s Memorial Stadium
The California Memorial stadium underwent renovation that was completed in 2012, and it was awarded the Gold LEED certification in 2014. It was also named the second greenest college stadium in the country, surpassed only by the University of North Texas’ Apogee Stadium. According to the Green Building Council, the reconstruction effort was a landmark example of adaptive reuse. The stadium is just one of many energy efficient and eco-friendly sites run by the university, which boasts nearly 200 LEED certified buildings.
Schools that take the time and money to invest in a green stadium will generally be the most environmentally conscious. As a result, these colleges are also often geared towards reducing energy use and the campus’ carbon footprint.
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