South Raleigh News

NC State Athletics has been named the winner of Front Office Sports' 2024 Most Sustainable Award, as announced by the organization on Tuesday morning.

The recognition, sponsored by both Front Office Sports and Sports Innovation Lab, is awarded to the athletics department that demonstrates a strong commitment to climate action and sustainable solutions. The award measures initiatives such as limiting energy and water use, implementing recycling programs, achieving LEED Certifications, investing in sustainability, and tracking these efforts for long-term impact.

"NC State Athletics is thrilled to be recognized with this award," said Justin Lisk, NC State Athletics Assistant AD for Fan Experience and Marketing. "Our sustainability efforts over the past several years have truly been a team effort with buy-in from the top down."

"Our partnership with sustainably-minded individuals on campus has helped us form strategies to improve our impact on the environment. We will continue implementing and educating our fan base and community on these initiatives to help positively shape the way Wolfpack Nation views the importance of sustainability for years to come."

To limit energy consumption, NC State Athletics has upgraded many of its facilities to LED lighting, including Carter-Finley Stadium, Doak Field, the J.W. Isenhour Tennis Center, Dail Basketball Center, Weisiger-Brown Athletics Building, and the batting cages at Doak Field and Dail Softball Field. The department has also installed energy-saving motion sensors and partnered with turf and grounds crews to use battery-powered maintenance equipment to reduce emissions.

The Close-King Indoor Football Practice Facility, Reynolds Coliseum, and the Carol Johnson Poole Golf Clubhouse have all achieved Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification at the Silver Level from the US Green Building Council.

Wolfpack Athletics has also focused on limiting water consumption at several facilities by providing water bottle filling stations for fans at Carter-Finley Stadium and Reynolds Coliseum. Irrigation systems at Lonnie Poole Golf Course, Carter-Finley Stadium, and Doak Field follow sustainable practices to reduce water usage.

The department emphasizes recycling and composting efforts. In 2019, NC State opened its own compost processing facility to provide a closed-loop organic waste management system for campus. Compostable materials collected on football game days are processed into nutrient-rich soil amendments used in research and campus landscapes.

In 2015, NC State launched Zero Waste Wolfpack, a recycling initiative driven by student interns and volunteers. In five years, the program diverted 85,604 pounds of compostable material and 422,694 pounds of recycling from landfills during football game days. The program received multiple awards including the 2019 Environmental Innovator of the Year Award from Green Sports Alliance.

NC State also collaborated with Adidas to use recycled materials in its uniforms. By 2023, all NC State football team uniforms were made of recycled materials.

NC State University publishes an Annual Sustainability Report detailing progress toward its Sustainability Strategic Plan. Since 2008, university emissions have declined by 23%.

"NC State Athletics is a longtime partner in campus sustainability efforts," said Carla Davis, Director of NC State's University Sustainability Office. "This award recognizes those significant contributions to wisely steward resources and improve efficiency."

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