By Libby Sander

Few universities have dealt with the sustainability of their sports programs or have long-term plans to do so, a report says.

Only 10 percent of institutions at the NCAA's Division I-A level have developed a strategic plan for environmental sustainability in their athletics programs, and fewer than half report that sustainability is a high priority.

The findings come from the "2009 Collegiate Athletic Department Sustainability Survey Report," released last week by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education. The report includes responses from 97 of the 119 athletics programs in the NCAA's premier division about their attention to sustainability, which includes efforts to use clean energy, reduce waste, curb carbon emissions, and construct green buildings.

With Division I-A institutions supporting an average of 17 sports each, "the collective environmental impact is potentially quite large," the report says. "Unfortunately, however, because few campuses are assessing these impacts, the overall impact of sports programs is unknown."

Nearly three-quarters of respondents said their emphasis on environmental programs was increasing, and more than two-thirds said key decision makers supported such programs.

But they are moving slowly, often concerned about the effect on their bottom line and unsure of where their practices fit with those already under way at the university.

Forty-one percent of respondents have a representative from the athletics department on the university's campuswide sustainability team, but 79 percent did not know whether the president of their university had signed the American College & University Presidents Climate Commitment. (To date, more than 600 college presidents have signed the agreement, including about 30 who oversee the biggest sports programs.)

The majority of respondents said the person or group responsible for developing a sustainability plan was either the facilities-and-event operations division of the athletics department, or the campuswide facilities department. None said the athletic director was responsible for such a plan.

Forty-seven percent of respondents said they did not know how much of the university's overall energy use was attributed to the athletics department.

Impact of Travel

The greenhouse-gas emissions associated with team and fan travel is one area of particular concern that has not been fully dealt with in campuswide sustainability plans, the report says.

Few departments measure the greenhouse-gas emissions of their operations, including fossil-fuel and electricity use, and travel by teams, employees, and fans. Even fewer said they were actively considering doing so.

More than 40 percent of respondents said decision makers thought environmental programs would have no effect on fan loyalty. DeDee DeLongpré Johnston, a board member of the association and director of sustainability at Wake Forest University, says athletics programs would be wise to capitalize on their fans' enthusiasm for green practices.

When Ms. DeLongpré Johnston was sustainability director at the University of Florida, she says, fans tailgating before football games were very supportive when they saw her patrolling the area with her Green Team to pick up recyclable trash.

The NCAA has a Green Team of its own at its Indianapolis headquarters, where staff members have pledged to promote environmentally friendly habits in their office and in the region. The organization is also developing sustainability programs for national championships and other NCAA events.

Yet despite the mounting support, Ms. DeLongpré Johnston says, many of the largest athletics programs still appear to rank sustainability behind their most important priority: winning. "Perhaps it's not a centerpiece right now," she says. "Everyone has a different bottom line against which they measure their own success."