The University of Virginia has committed to ambitious 2030 sustainability goals and calls for bold leadership in addressing sustainability challenges across the interconnected areas of operations, service, and community engagement. UVA Athletics recognizes and accepts this challenge to be a sustainability leader in collegiate athletics while taking responsibility for its part in meeting the University’s 2030 sustainability goals. UVA Athletics will pursue these goals in ways that enhance its mission, which includes student-athlete success, uncompromised excellence in facility performance and operations, efficient use of resources, and positive engagement with the community.

Zero-Waste Athletics

Football 

Since 2010, UVA has been committed to reducing waste at football games. Initially, UVA participated in the nationwide Game Day Challenge by focusing on waste reduction at one game per season. In 2022, the program expanded to make every home game a Green Game. This initiative diverted 63,000 pounds of recyclable and compostable materials in 2023 and 95,000 pounds in 2024. Both seasons, GFL Environmental sponsored the waste reduction challenge, generously offering a $6,000 donation to the Office for Sustainability! 

Soccer 

During the 2024 season, Office for Sustainability Student Employees led composting efforts for six men’s and women’s soccer games at Klöckner Stadium. Building off the success of previous Green Games, we are working to make all athletics facilities waste diversion champions, and this puts us on track to meet that goal. 

Basketball 

UVA has been actively working to reduce waste at home basketball games in John Paul Jones Arena, building on its waste reduction efforts in football. Initially, the Office for Sustainability supported one home basketball game as part of the Game Day Challenge. However, this expanded to four games per season in 2022, where 44 volunteers helped divert 3,071 pounds of compostable materials from the landfill, and seven games in 2025.  

Future Plans 

The Office for Sustainability is excited to expand composting to more athletics events and facilities in the future. Stay tuned to help reduce waste at baseball, softball, men’s and women’s lacrosse games.  

Learn more on Green Athletics. 

Sustainable Facilities

One of UVA Athletics’ goals is to build and maintain the highest quality facilities in the country with the purpose of attracting and developing the best student-athletes. To achieve this, Athletics maintains efficient, high-performing facilities designed to prioritize student-athletes’ needs, health, and wellness. 

Additionally, new buildings and renovations are designed with sustainability in mind. This includes LEED green building certification for all major projects with a focus on strategies that reduce water use, energy consumption, and carbon emissions while prioritizing occupant health and wellness. The following buildings are already LEED certified, while the Football Operations Center and Olympic Sports Center are in the process of achieving their certification. 

• Palmer Park – LEED Silver 

• Dean Family Golf Performance Center – LEED Certified 

• McArthur Squash Center – LEED Certified 

• Disharoon Park Expansion – LEED Silver 

• George Welsh Indoor Practice Facility – LEED Certified 

John Paul Jones Arena, home of UVA men’s and women’s basketball programs, was awarded the 2014 Green Attraction of the Year from the Virginia Green Program. In 2024, John Paul Jones Arena was named a Virginia Green Travel “Innovative Green Project” for their Green Games waste reduction efforts.  

Learn more at https://virginiasports.com/facilities/

Student-Athlete and Community Leadership

UVA Athletics attracts and fosters student-athletes with strong values of leadership, equity, citizenship, teamwork, and a commitment to excellence. These characteristics have naturally propelled UVA student-athletes to recognize the power of their role in addressing sustainability within Athletics as well as the UVA community. The UVA Office for Sustainability enjoys supporting student-athlete initiatives. Reach out to sustainability@virginia.edu if you want to lead a project.  

Aces 4 Earth 

• Aces for Earth is an organization started by UVA student Emily Samay that collects and ships used tennis balls from UVA facilities to a recycling center in Vermont. She and her older sister, Ava, have worked with President Ryan and the Office for Sustainability to recycle 4,000 tennis balls to date.  

ACC Sports Sustainability Team 

• UVA Athletics is a proud supporter of the ACC Sports Sustainability Conference Team, founded in 2019. UVA was the proud host of the third annual ACC Sports Sustainability Conference in 2023, and continues to support partnerships with peer institutions year round.  

Community Service 

• Student-athletes have taken part in a variety of sustainability-focused service projects, from trash pick-ups to clothing donation drives, actively working to keep materials out of landfills while giving back to the community.