I just can’t help myself. With the NCAA Basketball Tournament in full swing, the World Baseball Classic clamoring for my attention, and the weather finally conducive to running outside (comfortably); I’ve got sports on the brain.

I’m not going to fight it. No. Instead, I want to celebrate one of the leaders of sustainability in sports. Of course, I’m talking about the Council for Responsible Sport (ReSport), which provides an independent certification for sustainable athletic events.

Having competed in and worked at numerous triathlons and other races myself, I can attest to the fact that such events generate a lot of waste. I immediately think of the aid stations, where tired athletes reach for cups of water, cool sponges, and energy gel packets. You have to see it to believe the litter that accumulates in the quarter-mile thereafter!

The guys at ReSport present an equally compelling argument for sustainability in sports. You’ll have to visit their website for yourselves to get the full story, but allow me to relay just one of their statistics: based on their travel to the event alone, “athletes on the starting line of Ironman Hawaii produced… the equivalent to the yearly carbon footprint (electricity and natural gas) of 972 average American homes.”  Amazing!

The concept of certifying sustainable athletic events gets me all sorts of excited. Just think if we could extend this model to the major spectator sporting events of today—the Olympics, the World Cup, and even professional leagues??!!!

How cool would it be if next year’s NCAA Tournament was certified as sustainable? I’ll leave you to ponder that idea as you watch this weekend’s first- and second-round games.

Let’s go Demon Deacons!