As the snow continues to melt and the seasons change, we find ourselves once again in craziest time for college basketball: March Madness. This year, 40 million people filled out brackets, gambling roughly $9 billion for their favorite teams, double the amount of money gambled this year in the Super Bowl. (1) So far, the University of Kentucky Wildcats are the biggest favorite to win it all, as they sit happily seeded No. 1 and attempt to continue the season undefeated. (2) Other top contenders and fan favorites include Villanova, Wisconsin, and Arizona. (3, 4) These predictions are based off of various models, patterns, and rankings, and are based off of the athletic capabilities of the 68 college basketball teams involved in the NCAA tournament. But what about the sustainability of these teams and their schools? How does unstoppable Kentucky stand up to sustainability practices? Let’s take a look!
When it comes to sustainability practices, the Kentucky Wildcats have some accomplishments as well. The Wildcats home court, Rupp Arena is a part of the larger Lexington Center, which has implemented some strong sustainability practices. In 2006, Lexington Center launched a corporate-wide recycling program which includes Rupp Arena events. Two years later, all concessions at Rupp Center transitioned over to compostable greenware products produced from renewable resources. Although these initiatives were implemented throughout all of Lexington Center, much of the work was done by Rupp Center, proving the Wildcat’s commitment to sustainability. (9)
Villanova University Wildcats, on the other hand, make a slam dunk in sustainability practices—especially fan engagement! This past February, Villanova hosted a Zero Waste Basketball Game against Providence College. Villanova Sustainability and Recycling partnered up with the Athletic Department to host the event, with a goal of diverting at least 90% of game day waste through recycling and composting. Some practices used at the event included adding compost and recycling bins on-site, requiring food vendors to switch disposables to compostable and recyclable alternatives, and staging volunteers to assist fans with proper waste sorting. The Zero Waste Basketball Game was just one event that Villanova University hosted this year as a part of the national competition, “Recyclemania.” (5) The University of Wisconsin Athletic Department has done some sustainability campaigns in the past, but mainly centered more on football. One ongoing practice that the Wisconsin Badgers do have in place, though, is a volunteer recycling program. Fans and supporters can sign up online through WE CONSERVE, in partnership with the Office of Sustainability, to help out with recycling during home basketball games. (6)
The University of Arizona Wildcats was listed by the NRDC as one of the top 10 most sustainable collegiate athletic programs in 2013. (7) Since then, the Wildcats home court, the McKale Center, has undergone major renovations, demonstrating an even larger commitment to sustainability. The renovations upgraded many parts of the arena, some of which increased energy efficiency tremendously. The upgrade made McKale Center one of the first collegiate sports arenas in the nation that uses 100 percent by LED lighting. (8)
When it comes down to it, there is no perfect algorithm for which team is most sustainable. These four highly-bet-upon teams are all a part of the green sports movement already, but there is a lot more that they could be doing! It is clear that these teams have the attention of our nation, with 40 million fans following March Madness, so let’s use that buzz to stir up some energy efficiency excitement!
(1) “March Madness: 40M Americans Will Fill Out a Bracket.” Bloomberg.com. March 16, 2015. Accessed March 16, 2015. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/videos/2015-03-16/march-madness-40m-americans-will-fill-out-a-bracket
(2) “Kentucky Claims Top Overall seed.” ESPN. March 17, 2017. Accessed March 17, 2015. http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/tournament/2015/story/_/id/12490238/ncaa-tournament-kentucky-wildcats-claim-top-overall-seed
(3) Giles, Matthew. “2015 NCAA Tournament: Three Teams That Can Topple Kentucky.” Washington Post. March 17, 2015. Accessed March 17, 2015. http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/fancy-stats/wp/2015/03/17/2015-ncaa-tournament-three-teams-that-can-topple-kentucky/
(4) Fischer-Baum, Reuben, Allison McCann, Dhrumil Mehta Mehta, and Nate Silver. “FiveThirtyEight Sports.” 2015 March Madness Predictions. March 17, 2015. Accessed March 17, 2015. http://fivethirtyeight.com/interactives/march-madness-predictions-2015/#mens
(5) “Villanova to Host Zero Waste Basketball Game Feb. 24.” Villanova University Media Room. February 1, 2015. Accessed March 16, 2015. http://www1.villanova.edu/villanova/media/pressreleases/2015/0223.html
(6) “Volunteer.” We Conserve UW Madison. 2015. Accessed March 16, 2015. http://conserve.wisc.edu/hm.html