The certification focuses on steps sports complexes take toward environmental sustainability.
Elon University has become one of the first colleges and universities in the country to receive its Sports Turf Managers Association Environmental Facility Certification after going through an extensive verification process.
The award recognizes the dedication of a sports complex to environmental sustainability, and the team that maintains it. The certification is open to all sports centers across the country. Elon was one of the first five complexes to receive confirmation of the certification, with 15 other centers across the country currently going through the process.
To receive the certification, programs must pass with a score of higher than 80 percent in 10 different areas: assessing storm water management, fertilization, pesticides/IPM program, recycling, composting, mowing, energy conservation, shop buildings and storage areas, irrigation and water quality testing, and educational outreach.
The Elon submission process was led by Elon Sports Turf Manager Scott Stevens, who said that receiving the certification was a reassurance that the team was doing the right thing. “Being environmentally responsible is really important for us and the administration,” he said. “We really want to make sure that we’re maintaining the fields for the next generation to come in and take care of it and play on them.”
The certification comes as part of a larger Elon movement to increase sustainability and environmental friendly programs on campus. Recently, Elon became one of eight higher education institutions to receive the APPA 2016 Sustainability Award, which recognized the school’s efforts in energy reduction; water conservation; campus composting programs for yard and food waste; and the Elon BioBus system.
“This award helps give us some recognition that we are doing the right things and that we’re making things as safe as possible,” Stevens said.
This summer, the U.S. Secretary of Education honored Elon as a green ribbon school for its programs promoting environmental sustainability. The university this fall was named a “cool school” by the Sierra Club, and