the men’s and women’s rowing teams, totaling more than 70 student athletes, spend their winter months training on indoor rowing machines in the auxiliary gym of the smith center. there is one particular water fountain outside this auxiliary gym that receives an incredibly high amount of use, especially during the early mornings. until recently, this water fountain was considered a “normal” water fountain. puddles would quickly form under the fountain, and long lines would form behind it, a detriment during time-sensitive situations that are training sessions.

the spring 2019 semester brought about change to the smith center, with the installation of two elkay water bottle filler fountains, one in the lobby of the smith center and another in the aforementioned “rowing corner” by the auxiliary gym. these fountains are designed to create as little water waste as possible and displays an active count for the amount of plastic water bottles saved by using a reusable bottle. since their installation in january 2019, the lobby and rowing water fountains have saved 10,109 and 7,011 bottles, respectively.

i presented the idea of the water bottle fountains during my april 2018 interview to represent my team on the student athlete advisory committee (saac). i was certainly not the first person in the athletics department to bring forward the idea, but as someone in a position to enact change, i took the chance to call attention to the issue. not only would these fountains allow athletes to fill their bottles more swiftly, but less water would spill, and the use of reusable bottles would be encouraged. through persistent and healthy dialogue between student-athletes, their saac representatives, administration, and facilities staff, we were able to bring about change and install the new and improved water bottle fountains.

another way that the men’s and women’s rowing teams have prioritized sustainability is through a simple habit adjustment, transitioning from paper towels to reusable cloth towels. after every training session on the indoor rowing machines, we sanitize the machine’s handle, seat, and track, as well as any sweat that has accumulated on the ground. until this school year, we would use paper towels to sanitize, since they were readily available. however, in fall 2018, one rower proposed the idea to switch to cloth towels. that night, our assistant coach purchased a package of these cloth towels, and we started using them the next day. assuming that each of the 70 rowers had been using one paper towel sheet after six morning training sessions per week, we can confidently state that the implementation of cloth towels has saved (at least) 420 paper towel sheets every week.

at a division 1 athletics facility, something as simple as water is crucial to athletic performance. in the day-to-day hustle and bustle of a student-athlete and supporting cast, it can become easy to overlook the need to find solutions for issues that are right in front of our very eyes. all it took in this case was the collaboration of well-intentioned individuals. in addition, the implementation of towels to clean the rowing machines was nothing more than a vocalized suggestion and a one-time purchase to create long-lasting effects for the earth.

according to the center for city park excellence at the trust for public land, almost half of all americans get less than the recommended amount of physical activity, and more than a third don’t get in any leisure-time physical activity at all. dr. richard jackson, former head of the centers for disease control’s national center for environmental health and now professor at ucla, adds that this overall lack of physical activity, along with americans’ taste for fatty, unhealthy foods, has helped turn obesity into a “common cause epidemic” in the u.s. furthermore, the cost of healthcare in the u.s., which now ranks as the most obese nation on earth, has reached 17 percent of gross domestic product (gdp). what’s the cause of this increasingly expensive health epidemic? – some answers can be found in the built environment. communities are often planned and built to enable constant car use, creating a “deep-rooted structural issue” impossible to remedy with medicines alone.
(source: center for city park excellence trust for public land and “dr. richard jackson: “we are no longer creating wellbeing,” the dirt, asla general session, october 2010 )

“designing for active living” is a new approach to community design that aims to design communities for all users, not just those driving in cars. even older communities are retrofitting infrastructure to provide multiple transportation options and easier access to outdoor activities, improving health in the process. designing for active living involves creating safe access to transit; “complete streets,” which offer wider sidewalks and bike lanes; bike share networks and stations; community trail networks; parks with exercise equipment; and community gardens — anything that gets people outdoors. in fact, new research demonstrates just being outside provides physical and mental health benefits. interacting with nature improves cognitive ability, provides a range of social benefits (like making people nicer), and shortens rehabilitation times among those recovering from illnesses. (source: “nature makes us more caring,” university of rochester, marc berman, marc, john jonides, and stephen kaplan, “the cognitive benefits of interacting with nature,” psychological science, volume 19, number 12, 2008 and “dr. richard jackson: “we are no longer creating wellbeing,” the dirt )

people tend to be pretty resistant to changing their lifestyles in order to combat climate change. but when you take something that people do as part of a regular routine and alter it to make it green, the change is done for them.

the fitness equipment converts kinetic energy from a work out into usable, carbon-free energy that can be used to power the entire fitness center. this is especially effective considering the amount of energy that is used to power a typical gym (the machines, televisions, air-conditioners, etc.).

universities across the country use green fitness equipment and hopefully soon it will not be considered innovative, but instead will be expected.

there are many brands that make this kind of equipment, but one in particular is rerev. for more information go to: http://rerev.com/

if all colleges invested in this type of equipment, imagine how much energy we could save across the country!