Texas A&M University
IN-16: Green Athletics

The Athletics Department has restructured their sustainability efforts into four separate programs. Two are staff-led; two are student-athlete led:
• 12th Man Sustainability – group of staff who meet on a regular basis to design and implement a holistic sustainability program for the Athletic department
Leadership group: Scot Obergefell – Facilities, Rebekah Parkhill – Administration, David Taylor – Facilities, Lauren Lichterman – Facilities
60+ working group members from all Athletic departments, other areas of campus, and Athletics’ partners
• Aggie Commitment – the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiative within Aggie Athletics. The Aggie Commitment aims to develop and implement plans and strategies to increase equity and maintain an environment of inclusiveness. The Aggie Commitment is focused on promoting unity, education, and engagement.
Leadership group: Rebekah Parkhill – Associate Athletics Director, Kristen Brown – Deputy Athletics Director, Mikado Hinson – Director of Football Player Development/Associate Diversity Director, Joe Fields – Deputy Athletics Director, Ryan Pittsinger – Assistant Athletics Director, Director of Counseling and Sport Psychology
• Aggie B.L.U.E. Print – “Black Leaders who Undertake Excellence” is a student-athlete led organization to provide leadership opportunities and a sense of community while empowering Black individuals to use their voice
Leadership group: Chase Lane – President, Brian Williams – Vice President, Sahara Jones – Chief Marketing Officer, Ishmel William – Chief Communications Officer, Maliyah Johnson – Chief Student Athlete Engagement Officer, Makhiya McDonald – Chief Business Officer.
• 12th Man Green Team – a student-athlete led organization that worked to improve education about the impact on the environment and instill proactive efforts in student-athletes lifestyles and their future.
Leadership group: Rhian Murphy – President, Mollie Wright – Vice President of Marketing, Kylie Powers – Co-Vice President of Research, Haley Redifer – Co-Vice President of Research, Caroline Theil – Vice President of Community Outreach

Below is a summary of the 12th Man Sustainability’s initiatives currently in place.
• All athletic events have clearly marked recycling cans throughout the facility and are working towards a zero waste goal for all Athletics events. As part of our normal operation and service agreement with Brazos Valley Recycling, they sort through the trash collected, both after home athletic events as well as day to day, removing every item with the ability to be recycled or reused.
• We have a recycling team present during home football games through Brazos Valley Recycling to assist in our zero-waste initiative.
• While we do not certify our stadiums under a green building rating system, we utilize green building practices in the design and maintenance of buildings when feasible. Green building features include low flow toilets, showerheads, and sinks, recirculating pumps on all hot water heaters, and separation of all disposal materials during construction.
• TAMU contracts with Levy for in-game concessions and catering in hospitality spaces. Levy is currently participating in several sustainable purchasing initiatives:
o Souvenir cups are recyclable and are sold with the intent customers will retain them and reuse them at their homes. The cup was designed to fit on the top rack of a standard residential dishwasher. This was implemented to prevent the cup from melting and the end-user discarding it in the “trash” can.
o Fans have the opportunity to purchase a commemorative refillable 12th Man Tervis tumbler and/or marron Yeti cup for use during the game. Fans take this high-quality product home with them, thus reducing the overall waste generated from beverage containers.
o Pepsi self-serve refill stations are available on the concourse to all fans. Refill stations reduce the overall waste generated from beverage containers.
o Food packaging from concessions to end-user are made from recyclable materials where feasible.
o Levy currently composts some of back-of-house food waste from both athletic competitions and special events.
o Levy separates and recycles all cardboard from athletic competitions and special events. They make other efforts back of house to recycle other materials where possible.
o Non-souvenir soda cups (purchased from Pepsi) are made from recyclable materials.
o % of concessions/catering locally-sourced

• TAMU Athletics partners with Transportation Services to provide sustainable travel options for athletic events. This year, the total ridership through off-campus shuttle methods were:

TAMU vs Total Ridership
Sam Houston 25,644
Appalachian St 23,982
Miami 25,875
Ole Miss 24,585
Florida 21,932
U Mass 17,267
LSU 22,106
Total 161,391

TAMU Athletics has numerous community engagement efforts to advance our sustainability efforts.
• Public address announcement and video board ad at every home event providing information on the how, where, and what of athletic event recycling.
• Partnered with the student-athlete green team to broaden our reach through their current communication protocols.
• Created 12th Man Green Team (Student-Athlete Volunteer Team) to assist in communication and sustainability initiatives.
• Created social media accounts for 12th Man Sustainability to engage fans on Instagram and Twitter
• The 12th Man Green Team and Student-Athlete Advisory Committee partnered together to host a park clean up event for student-athlete (Spring 2022).
• 12th Man Green Team hosts events targeting student-athletes who have an interest in environmental sustainability initiatives such as watching documentaries and having DIY craft nights to learn how to upcycle different items or create your own instead of purchasing new.
• 12th Man Green Team hosted a panel in conjunction with ecoathletes where they discussed how to make an impact on and off the playing field.
• Aggie Commitment hosted a book drive to support the United Way’s Book Bash (Fall 2022)

In addition, Athletics has or is taking actions not counted above.
• In process of producing a Strategic Sustainability Plan for the Athletics department. It will be the first of its kind among SEC peers and universities in the state of Texas.