On November 8th and 9th, Boston University and UMass Lowell came together to promote sustainability with their hockey fans.
On Friday night, during a women’s and men’s doubleheader at Agganis Arena, Boston University hosted a Zero Waste night, educating Terrier Nation on proper waste disposal.
For the first time ever, Agganis Arena had compost bins throughout the concourse, new waste signage specific to items in the arena, and staffing around the concourse to help with sorting. BU Sustainably also tabled in partnership with Casella to inform attendees about sustainability programming on campus and how the campus plans to reach Zero Waste by 2030. To execute this enhanced waste sorting, BU Sustainability and Casella worked closely with arena management, custodial staff, and Aramark, the arena’s food vendor.
Over the two games, BU hockey fans diverted 80.7% of the waste generated in the arena. 40% of the waste was composted, 27% was recycled, and 14% was eliminated altogether by having reusable alternatives.
The games featured several public address announcements, providing tips on how to sort waste correctly and highlighting BU’s goal to reach Zero Waste by 2030. Between periods, there was also an on-ice waste sorting game and a Zero Waste quiz featuring campus Zero Waste goals and statistics. The women’s hockey team went the extra mile and sported green stick tape to highlight the importance of sustainability.
On Saturday night at the Tsongas Center, as part of the home-and-home series between UML and BU, UMass Lowell EcoReps engaged with fans to promote opportunities to engage with sustainability both in and outside the classroom. Later this season, UML will host a second sustainability night at the Tsongas Center focused on Zero Waste.
This was the first time in college hockey that the sustainability arms of multiple universities came together to promote sustainability through the lens of intercollegiate athletics. Going forward, BU Sustainability is looking forward to future collaborations with athletics. If your office is interested in hosting a Zero Waste event, please reach out to sustainability@bu.edu