BERKELEY – In a competition to determine which Pac-12 university could divert the most waste from landfills at a men's or women's basketball game this past season, Cal earned the first-place award in the second annual Pac-12 Road to Zero Waste Challenge.
Every conference school participated in the event, which was done in partnership with the Green Sports Alliance. In addition to diverting waste, schools were also evaluated on using innovative methods to expand the reach and impact of the competition. Results of the Pac-12 Road to Zero Waste Challenge were determined by a panel of three independent judges. Cal placed first, followed by Colorado and Arizona State, with Arizona earning honorable mention.
The Pac-12 Road to Zero Waste Challenge provides a friendly and spirited platform for Pac-12 universities to engage on best practices in athletics waste diversion and to learn how each campus strives toward zero waste goals. In addition to overall waste diversion rate, the universities are scored on innovation, partnership and participation, and fan engagement.
For the competition, each campus selected one basketball game, and Cal chose its men's basketball contest against USC, which attracted a sellout crowd of 11,858 and was sponsored by corporate partner StopWaste and the Ready Set Recycle campaign. Overall, Cal had a total diversion rate of 85.3 percent, which included 485 pounds of compost, 81 pounds of bottles and cans, and more than 55 pounds of cardboard and mixed paper recycling.
Cal Dining, which manages concessions at Haas Pavilion, offered a pilot sale of bulk candies in compostable bags, with the hope to expand options in the future. The Cal zero waste team, which included Cal students, partnered with elementary and middle school volunteers from the Ready Set Recycle schools' program, and helped educate fans through the game by answering questions and showing a promotional video. Among the other elements of the event, trash cans were replaced with zero waste stations, raffle tickets were distributed for a “Getting Caught Composting” contest, and social media engaged with fans the effort.
About the Green Sports Alliance
The Green Sports Alliance leverages the cultural and market influence of sports to promote healthy, sustainable communities where we live and play. The nonprofit organization does so by inspiring sports leagues, teams, venues, their partners and millions of fans to embrace renewable energy, healthy food, recycling, water efficiency, species preservation, safer chemicals and other environmentally preferable practices. The Alliance is engaging the global sports industry to encourage measurable actions that enhance venue operations, influence the sports industry supply chain and mobilize fans.
Since launching nationally in March of 2011, the Alliance has grown from six teams from six leagues to more than 300 sports teams and venues from 20 different sports leagues and 14 countries. Currently, 30 NCAA affiliated universities are members of the Alliance.
About StopWaste and Ready Set Recycle
StopWaste is a public agency that helps Alameda County's businesses, residents and schools waste less, recycle more and use water, energy and other resources efficiently.
StopWaste's Ready Set Recycle campaign inspires Alameda County residents to keep food scraps and food-soiled paper out of the landfill to help create rich, water-conserving soil. Through partnerships with UC Berkeley, community-based organizations and local schools, the campaign helps residents ramp up their recycling and composting skills in their homes, schools and communities. ReadySetRecycle.org is a resource for all Alameda County residents providing information and tips on how to properly dispose of different types of items, from pizza boxes to broken glass to chicken bones.
