Building a greener future for your gym.
By Lee Erica Elder
CBN Feb/Mar 2010
Find a way to help, even if it’s in the smallest way possible. You may think it’s too small to make a difference, but if you add up the amount of people who think that way, what a difference a small decision makes!” —Michele Mastrianni, director, Champion All Stars
What does “going green” mean for cheer business owners? It means adopting eco-friendly practices to ultimately reduce your carbon footprint, the impact your activities have on the environment and climate. Products that are bought and consumed and energy that’s used and burned impact the world on a daily basis. As more and more ominous and confusing information is being presented about climate change and other threats to the environment, gym owners can effect positive change by looking to their business practices as models for a greener life.
“Going green for the Cheergyms.com family came about because we saw a need in our gyms to do something to help,” says Morton Bergue, president of Cheergyms.com in Concord, CA. “We also saw the financial and emotional benefits. Not only are we contributing to our environment, but we’re also raising money for our kids. It’s a win-win for everybody.”
Part 1: Going Green on a Larger Scale
Building or Renting a Green Facility
If you’re in the market for a new cheer facility or an addition to your family of gyms, you can go green from the ground up. When planning your budget, experts suggest considering the value of green investments over the entire life of your facility. “Thinking long-term savings over upfront costs is critical,” says Dave Frock, director of campus recreation at Colorado State University, a leader in green building research. For example, you can weigh the value of purchasing slightly more expensive and eco-friendly items, such as occupancy sensory lighting fixtures, which may ultimately save you money over time by lowering your utility bills and increasing your eligibility for tax credits or rebates.
You may opt to seek Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification, a green building rating system devised by the U.S. Green Building Council, which is granted to facilities and projects using eco-friendly methods during building or remodeling. Certification includes an application and approval process overseen by a certified agent. Acquiring LEED certification allows you to take advantage of state and local government incentives, while increasing interest in your business by letting your community know that you’re invested in the preservation of the environment. (Visit usgbc.org for more information.)
Once you’ve decided how much money to earmark for going green and what measures you’d like to undertake, you’ll want to locate a green consultant to guide the development of your project. “Hire a consultant if you want it done correctly,” says Frock. “Many architects and contractors are often LEED certified. They’re the experts!” In addition to the LEED website, sites such as ecobroker.com or mortgagegreen.com feature brokers and consultants who specialize in the greening of the real estate market—they have an eye on fair business practices, scout eco-friendly property for rental or purchase and can help you identify loans and incentives.
Retrofitting Your Gym
Retrofitting your gym with energy-efficient hardware and resources may not only preserve it for the future, but can also save you money in the process. Government tax credits are available for upgrading lighting, windows, doors, heating and cooling units and other items (some even include installation costs). Many states also provide rebates for energy-friendly appliances.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) offers a building upgrade manual, including a free online tool called Portfolio Manager, where you can estimate your energy output by submitting your monthly usage from utility bills and track these stats over time to compare your rates to the national average. (Visit epa.gov for more). “Green can mean many things, but one thing it must include is energy efficiency,” says Lauren Pitcher, communications specialist for the ENERGY STAR commercial and industrial buildings program. “The buildings where we work, shop and play account for half of the nation’s energy use and greenhouse gas emissions. There’s so much opportunity in every building to reduce the amount of energy we use.”
Part II: Making Green a Part of Everyday Life
Greener Every Day
You don’t have to build a new facility or even install new features to go green in your gym. For some owners, taking small steps is a smarter move. “Start off slow,” recommends Bergue. “I think picking one thing to do and running with it is better than trying to do everything at once. You have to train yourself and your kids, parents and staff. Old habits die hard, so you don’t want to overwhelm them.” First and foremost, if you don’t have a recycling program in place, start one! Athletes use a ton of disposable drinking bottles, so recycling those properly makes a big difference. “You can’t believe how many bottles we take to our local recycler each week,” says Bergue. “It’s mind-boggling.” Take it a step further by requesting that everyone bring reusable bottles and containers to practice.
You can also take a cue from JAMfest, which began a “Think Green” contest last year as an incentive for gym owners and athletes to find everyday ways to preserve energy. Emily Wood, events director for JAMfest Events, says the company offered lots of tips to gym owners and their athletes during this initiative. For example, try switching to compact fluorescent light bulbs and recycling them at home improvement stores. ENERGY STAR-qualified bulbs last 10 times longer and use 75 percent less energy than regular bulbs. Also, turn off all computers and unneeded lights—and unplug other appliances—when not in use, and use a power strip for electronics to conserve energy. Send e-mail correspondence whenever possible to cut down on paper consumption, and recycle ink cartridges for rebates at office supply stores such as Staples. Make sure your air vents are clear of paper and debris, as it takes as much as 25 percent more energy to pump air through a building with blocked vents. Depending on your gym’s heating and cooling settings, try programming thermostats to change temperature according to the time of day. Take a walk around your gym and make a list of ways you can cut back on energy use. You’ll be surprised at what you discover.
Green Your Teams
No matter the size, your green campaign will be much more effective with your athletes’ help. “Make it fun, and tell them how they’re helping their future,” says Michele Mastrianni, director of Champion All Stars in Danbury, CT. One of her athletes, Sam Lotko, collects and recycles water bottles to raise money for a young boy in the community named Jaxxon Reed, who is fighting childhood brain cancer. The money Sam earns from the recycling project goes directly into a bottle labeled “Jaxxon’s Jug for a Hug.” “Find a way to help, even if it’s in the smallest possible way,” says Mastrianni. “You may think it’s too small to make a difference, but if you add up the amount of people who think that way, what a difference a small decision makes!”
Ask athletes and parents to donate extra clothes, books, toys or electronics, and sponsor a recycling drive for a favorite charity. Cheergyms.com hosts an electronics drive twice a year. “Our families go out into the community and collect every kind of electronics imaginable and bring them to our gyms’ parking lots,” says Bergue. “We’ve filled huge eight-wheeler trucks with everything from cell phones to big screen TVs [to be recycled].”
Are there any crafty kids in your gym? Nine-year-old Riley of Universal Kentucky Cheer, in Murray, KY, winner of JAMfest’s “Think Green” contest, might inspire them. With the help of her mom and Sunday school teacher, she used non-biodegradable plastic from shopping bags and other items to create what she calls “plarn,” which she then crocheted into tote bags and sold to raise money for her church youth group. As part of her prize, Riley received a $100 donation in her name to the Tennessee National Wildlife Refuge.
Get your athletes in on green causes by starting a tree-planting project or growing a sustainable community garden. For a fun incentive, hold a contest to create signs with clear recycling and conservation tips to post around the gym. Offer the best or most unique entrants an eco-friendly prize, such as a water bottle made from recycled plastic or a plantable journal (the cover can be planted in your sustainable garden).
Going green means something different for every gym, but we can all agree that it’s smart, both environmentally and in the message it sends athletes about responsibility to our planet. “I hope what we’re doing at the gyms translates into the home,” says Bergue. “The best way to get kids involved is to be excited about doing it yourself. You can put out all the recycling bins you want and post thousands of flyers, but your enthusiasm and excitement is what will get the kids (and their parents) involved.”
Educate yourself about the green movement; There’s boundless information available online and at your local library, plus green conferences, expos and seminars are popping up everywhere. Get the word out to athletes and families about the importance of eco-awareness, and if you belong to cheer organizations, advocate for them to get involved as well.
“It’s important to think outside the box of cheerleading,” says Mastrianni. “What we do to help in the community and society in general is a way of imparting these values to our students, and hopefully through what we do, they’ll continue to grow and develop as adults.”
Helpful Green Resources
Green Charities:
Environmental Defense Fund: Works to find environmental solutions, such as protecting American families from harmful environmental chemicals (edf.org).
422 Green Project: Purchase one-of a-kind clothing and become part of an ongoing art project where 60 percent of the proceeds go to charity (422green.com).
The Nature Conservancy: Works to protect land, water and wildlife throughout the world (nature.org).
Business Resources:
Carbon Footprint, Ltd.: Free carbon footprint calculators for individuals and businesses (carbonfootprint.com)
Alliance for Sustainable Built Environments: News, tips and resources for building green (greenerfacilities.org)
US Green Building Council: Info on LEED certification (usgbc.org)
Greenbiz.com: Resources for green business owners
The Environmental Protection Agency
The ENERGY STAR program of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) offers resources and information for green upgrades and has special benefits for small businesses, including how-to guides, award applications, financial resources, service provider lists and much more. See epa.gov for details or call the ENERGY STAR hotline, 888-STAR-YES.
Recycle Old Cheer Shoes!
Organize your gym to participate in the Nike Reuse-A-Shoe drive. All you need to do is apply to become a community activist through the Nike site (nikereuseashoe.com) and set up a collection box for people to donate their worn-out athletic sneakers. Next, you can send up to 10 pairs of shoes directly to the recycling center or deliver them to one of the more than 300 drop-off locations around the world. This is a perfect way to jump on the eco-bandwagon with your athletes! Visit nikereuseashoe.com for more info.
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