The National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) and USG Corporation (NYSE: USG) have announced The Ohio State University (OSU) as the winner of the sixth annual USG NACDA Sustainability Award. Ohio State received the award for its work on The Schumaker Complex.

For the second year in a row, Ohio State has claimed the national title in the annual RecycleMania Tournament’s Game Day Basketball Diversion Competition. The contest, which took place on March 1 against Michigan at the Jerome Schottenstein Center, delivered a 97.09% diversion rate as the Buckeyes beat the Wolverines on the court, 77-63.

Natalia Falkowski is a senior on the fencing team. She is studying finance and international business and has a passion for sustainability. Falkowski has been a pivotal leader for getting the fencing program involved in zero waste. She has inspired her teammates, coaches and surrounding peers to live more sustainably. Falkowski hopes that she can pass off the “green sword” to one of her teammates after she graduates to pursue more environmental practices within their team.

They reigning national champion synchronized swimming team debuted five solos, five duets and three trios today at the annual Zero Waste meet. The sustainability department shared that prior to today’s meet, the team had already diverted 2,261 pounds of waste away from landfills through their zero waste events, helping to advance the university’s, and the program, goals to improve practices and challenge people to think more sustainably.

22,067 water bottles flipped. $15,000 in pledges for Australia bushfire relief efforts. 24 hours. One Drue Chrisman.

Sarah Walsh is a junior on the Ohio State synchronized swimming team and is majoring in environment, economy, development, and sustainability. Her interest in athletics and sustainability led her to secure an internship within the Huntington Bucks Go Pro 1.0 program, working alongside Ohio State’s sustainability coordinator in the Department of Athletics and Business Advancement.

The Ohio State University Columbus campus achieved a gold rating within the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS).

Ohio State’s 2019 gold rating is good for three years and places the university among leading national and international colleges and universities, according to the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) that administers STARS.

Ohio State earned the No. 1 ranking in the annual RecycleMania competition for GameDay Basketball diversion rate. The Feb. 26 contest against Iowa at the Jerome Schottenstein Center delivered a 99.4% diversion rate. Waste was collected during the game, diverted from the landfill and weighed helping Ohio State move up five spots in the 2019 RecycleMania GameDay Basketball diversion competition. Zero Waste at the Jerome Schottenstein Center is a collaborative effort and we thank all our partners!

Ellen Westfall is a senior on the Ohio State field hockey team. The environmental policy and decision making major found a passion for sustainability as a Huntington Bucks Go Pro intern in the summer of 2018. She spent her internship working with athletic department’s sustainability officers.

For the seventh year in a row, the Ohio State University was named Big Ten Conference champion in the annual 2018 Game Day Recycling Challenge. The Buckeyes earned the title after achieving the highest diversion rate for a single home football game during the 2018 season.

Arden Holden, a senior on the women’s soccer team, is passionate about sustainability! She is majoring in environment, economy, development and sustainability; one of the newer programs in the School of Environment and Natural Resources.