Sustainability in Athletics

This interactive, seminar-style course explores the intersection of environmental sustainability and athletics. Athletic teams and organizations provide a unique lens to analyze environmental sustainability due to their global reach, enormous fan bases and widely recognized sport icons. At the same time, the athletics industry produces an enormous environmental footprint with its travel, gear, competitive fueling, events, venue construction and maintenance. Because of this position, the sports industry has the opportunity and responsibility to create meaningful change in support of a sustainable future. We will explore the many ways that the athletics industry can make this change by inviting weekly speakers from a multitude of sports realms to share their expertise, vision and advice. There will be six learning modules addressing sustainability in terms of athletic gear and equipment, sports nutrition, facilities and stadiums, game days and events, the national and international stage, and individual sustainability superstars. Through taking this course, students will develop an understanding for the current state of athletic sustainability as well as future directions for the industry in this space.