Students forge an ecosystem of community partners
Sustainability and athletics may not seem like natural teammates, but at Duke University the athletics department is bringing climate awareness to every aspect of its operations.
While facilities and operations initiate systematic changes to contribute to Duke’s Climate Commitment, grassroots activities are creating multiple collaborations and learning how to scale people-powered solutions. Student-driven initiatives involving a growing ecosystem of community partnerships are reducing environmental impact while making sports more accessible to local residents.
Athletic gear drives make sports more attainable and sustainable
What began as a used shoe drive in 2023 organized by nascent student group Duke Sustainable Athletics Group (DSAG) expanded into a repeatable program known as the Devils Doing Good Gear Drive. As DSAG founder, and recent Duke graduate, Alayna Burns told The Chronicle,” “It started with us putting bins in locker rooms.”
Over the past two years, this initiative has collected and redistributed over 1,500 pairs of shoes and expanded to include other types of athletic gear. During its short existence, DSAG has expanded its collections from locker rooms to community events at Duke’s Green Games.
Nonprofit partnerships give shoes and gear a second life
This effort is labor-intensive. Anyone who has attempted to recycle, or ensure responsible reuse of, household items knows how difficult that can be to do. But, there is a silver lining: relationships.
“When our projects at Duke led us to burst our “on-campus” bubble, we never wanted to turn back,” shared Burns. “Working in sustainability/environmental impact can be draining, but it’s most rewarding when you get to see/feel the impacts directly, which is what working with local partners offers us.”
So far, DSAG has partnered with five different organizations to re-home assorted items based on their condition and community needs:
- The Boys & Girls Clubs of Durham and Orange Counties: Through the drives, Duke donated athletic shoes and gear in new or good condition to the Clubs to distribute to their members in need. Duke blue shoes in a variety of sizes were a particularly welcome delivery. The Boys & Girls Clubs also received field hockey equipment through a specialized drive which was a part of the Bleed Blue and Live Green Duke field hockey game.
- Rogers-Herr Middle School: This Durham Public School received lacrosse equipment including 37 lacrosse shafts, 32 heads, and 3 helmets.
- Durham Rescue Mission: Non-athletic items that find their way into a Gear Collection are donated to this organization which runs a thrift store to help fund its long-term homeless shelter and related services to men, women, and children in the Triangle.
“Practically speaking, our members love giving athletics gear and equipment a second life. It also demonstrates the climate commitment that Duke Athletics stands behind.”
– Andrew Borresen, Director of Resource Development at Boys & Girls Clubs of Durham and Orange Counties
Working with retail ESG programs to recycle
Students also partnered with two companies with strong ESG programs to efficiently recycle donated athletic shoes ready for retirement:
- Nike: Approximately 50% of collected gear that is at the end of its life cycle is sent to Nike Grind which turns the shoes into new athletic surfaces and products. Duke is now one of three schools in the country partnered with Nike on a pilot program that allows our school to ship shoes directly to the Nike Rebound Recycling and Donation facility in Indiana.
- Fleet Feet (Ninth Street, Durham): Approximately 650 shoes went to this local retailer who partners with the MORE Foundation to resell them at lower costs to communities in need, supporting micro-businesses and funding tree-planting initiatives.
New opportunity spotted in K-Ville
This year, Duke Student Government (DSG) spotted an opportunity in the K-Ville campout line for basketball tickets. They collaborated with Duke Athletics and the K-Ville Line Monitors to put to use outdoor gear students didn’t plan to keep. They forged two community partnerships for this inaugural program:
- Switchback Gear Collective, a Triangle group that strives to make the outdoors accessible to everyone, received 27 blankets, 28 pillows, 8 tents, 6 chairs, 50+ tarps, 9 sleeping pads, 2 air mattresses, and 1 cot from Duke.
- BaggingIt4Kids, a mutual relief organization, stepped up to deliver supplies in Western North Carolina following the hurricane. The K-Ville effort provides 50 tarps and 10 sleeping bags to help the communities affected.
Trusted relationships develop over time
While the gear drives may be just a few years old, several of the community partnerships at play are not. For example, BaggingIt4Kids and Duke have worked together in multiple ways over several years to improve local food security. The Boys and Girls Club has a multi-faceted relationship with Duke including a history of working with Duke Athletics. Case in point: student athletes showed up in a big way as a part of 919 Service Day in September and will be on site again in April as a part of Duke Athletics’ Week of Service.
“When we tell our members these shoes came from our friends at Duke Athletics, they instantly picture all of the student-athlete volunteers they’ve met through the Club. It brings them joy,” said Borresen. “When we hosted the Duke men’s basketball program, every member of the Blue Devils’ team invested an hour of their time to meet our Club members, shoot hoops together, and encourage them with positive, motivational words. Our members haven’t stopped talking about how cool of an experience it was.”
Borresen stressed, “Our relationship isn’t just with the men’s basketball program. The ‘Battle for Bull City’ match in recent years has been a tremendous collaboration with the Duke and NC Central volleyball teams.” He said because the senior administration, staff, and coaches show up along with the student-athletes, “it shows how Duke genuinely cares about our young people and their families.”
Burns is equally enthusiastic.
“When I visited the Durham Boys & Girls Club to see if our field hockey donations could be of use, I met incredible people working to impact the youth of Durham that I never would have interacted with otherwise,” she said. “This opened a new relationship that is leading to ideas for future events we can do together.”
Duke’s local model serves as a national example
These initiatives are part of a broader commitment by Duke University to integrate sustainability into all aspects of campus life, including athletics. While major institutional changes are necessary to meet Duke’s Climate Commitment, these grassroots efforts demonstrate that taking the time to forge purposeful partnerships can create meaningful, lasting impacts. They prove how local green partnerships pay off in the form of multiple positive impacts including income to farmers, meals for those who are food insecure, and the ability for more youth to participate in sports.
As these programs receive recognition and continue to grow, Duke students and the Durham community in collaboration with Duke Athletics, have the potential to set a national example for sustainable sports programs.
