College game days are some of the most fun and interesting days ever! From tailgates, to friends, to watching some quality football what’s not to love? With the fun, though, there is a huge amount of waste that is generated, especially on a college campus. In this post, I will be using my experience at the University of Michigan to suggest easy ways to make your game days a little more sustainable!
Game Day Outfits
From the perspective of a member of Greek life at the University of Michigan, game days are no joke. I am not exaggerating when I tell you, people treat Saturday game days like a catwalk! I know women who start planning their gameday outfits in the summer before, months out from the first game. There are endless Pinterest boards, Amazon links, and TikToks showing off the intricately pieced-together outfits. Then, just like clockwork, every Sunday afternoon, once everyone has risen from the post-game day hangover, my Instagram feed is flooded with maize and blue with photos showing off all the hard work.
However, the environmentalist in me cannot help but shudder when I think about the sheer volume of textiles bought just for game day attire. Game day outfit culture on I do not want to sit on a high horse either, I am definitely guilty of buying clothes from Amazon just for one outfit I had in mind for a game day. I get it! When you see everyone else doing it, it’s hard not to participate too. But I am here to give you some new ways to tackle game-day outfits!
At many sororities here at Michigan, we have what are called Bigs and Littles, short for big sister and little sister. As new members join the sorority, veteran members can take new members on as a “little” and act as mentors in the chapter. This is a very fun process that ends in a mystery reveal. During this process, the Bigs pass down Michigan and chapter merch to the little, and these hauls are no joke. When I went through this process, in the bags full of merch I received, I had shirts dating back to the early 2000s! It is a special tradition that not only repurposes old clothing. I shared this anecdote with you all to say that many of my game day looks included pieces that were hand-me-downs from generations of my sorority sisters.
For those of you who may not be in a sorority and still want to cut back your game day costs and waste, there are still plenty of options that also allow you to get creative!
One very simple way to expand your game day wardrobe for less is to up-cycle clothing! One of my favorite ways to do this is to paint and decorate some denim. Last year, before I headed back to Ann Arbor in the fall, I spent an afternoon painting an old pair of jean shorts with maize and blue. I am not an art student, but I still really enjoyed doing this with a movie on in the back, and I’d imagine this would be even more fun while doing it with some friends!
My favorite part of this up-cycle is that you get to have full creative liberty with your denim. While I have only decorated shorts, I think a jacket, full-length jeans, or even overalls would be so cool, and all of these items are so easily thrift-able. I received so many compliments because no one else had what I was wearing. I felt confident rocking something I had made! Here is a Pinterest board for more inspiration!
Another route to up-cycling is making patchwork sweatshirts. I have seen videos online of people cutting up old t-shirts and fabric to create a patchwork-esc crewneck hoodie. While I have not tried this myself, I have included a link to plenty of DIY videos.
To make this crewneck, I would start with a crewneck or hoodie base (maybe one you don’t wear anymore), it can have a small design on it if you can cover it up, or be blank. Then, you can cut up old Michigan t-shirts to make “patches” that you will be put on the hoodie base. While in these videos it appears the creator is hand sewing the patches on, I think fabric glue would also do the trick if you are like me and never learned how to sew!I love this look because it gives a creative vibe to the hoodie, and again, it is a piece that no one else will have which I think is so special.
These are just a few examples of how to save and style your next game day! Please share your creations and any other upcycling fashion tips for game day with me in the comments, I’d love to see them!
Hosting and Tailgating Tips
If you are the generous friend who hosts the pregame and/or tailgate, I have some great news; you can make money off your friends! In Michigan and several other participating states, you can get 10 cents back for every aluminum can you return to a recycling center.
Since October 15, 2020, Michigan’s Beverage Container Deposit Law requires retailers who sell aluminum cans in Michigan are required to accept returned cans and pay 10 cents per can to customers.
Per the Michigan government’s website, “All grocery stores, supermarkets, convenience stores, gas stations and other retailers of every kind with bottle return facilities, regardless where such facilities are physically located, and whether serviced by reverse vending machines, staffed by employees, or some combination of the two, must re-open their bottle return facilities and resume the collection of returnable beverage containers and refund of customer bottle deposits.”
Due to this policy, there are many convenient locations for returning cans due to. Many supermarkets like Meijer and Kroger have can return machines called “reverse vending machines.”
Here are some tips to know before you return your game day cans:
Cans must be emptied and cleaned upon the return
The cans must not be smashed, they need to be intact
Try to keep the tab on the can as well
Retailers can limit the deposit refund amount to $25 per individual per day
So at your next hosting event, please tell your guests to toss their cans in a designated “can only” bag or bin. It will not only help the environment, but you will also be making some quick and easy cash; the cans really do add up!
Now that we have the drinks taken care of, let's talk about what you will be feeding your guests to help them get through the long football day.
I know fan favorites for tailgating food are primarily meat-based dishes, but there are some simple vegetarian substitutions you can make that are equally delicious and better for your budget AND carbon footprint!
Buffalo chicken dip is something that I deeply miss eating as a relatively new pescatarian. Luckily when cheese and hot sauce are the main ingredients to a dish, the flavor is still going to be great even if you substitute the chicken for a vegetarian-friendly option.
Check out this mouth-watering Vegetarian Three Cheese White Bean Buffalo Dip from Ambitious Kitchen! Just as easy to make as the real thing, this recipe includes so plant-powered ingredients that will provide you with some extra protein to get you through the day!
Another great option is a 7-layer taco dip, which is both vegetation and gluten-free friendly! This is another quick hit that will leave people scraping the bottom of the dish!
For more vegetarian tailgate/game day options, Delish has forty different options for you to try and explore. Let me know what recipes are a MUST TRY in the comments below!
Inside the Stadium
During college game day season, hundreds of thousands of college students and fans gather in stadiums across the country to root for their teams and defend their pride. College football is so wildly popular, that Universities continuously update and expand their stadiums to keep up with the demand. The country’s largest college football stadiums hold over 100,000 people. Michigan’s Big House can miraculously hold upwards of 110,000 people.
No matter what school you are at, with that many people, it becomes exponentially harder to limit waste and be sustainable. However, there are many admirable contributions to limit the stadium’s waste that I have witnessed while attending Michigan Football games at the Big House.
One of the most prominent sustainability initiatives at the Big House is their dedication to limiting food waste. As of 2017, the University of Michigan has had compostable and recycling bins at the stadium. Food containers at the stadium for practically anything you would purchase to eat there can be recycled or are compostable. Adapting the change to compostable products does cost more money than non-compostable products, showing the university does want to invest in creating less waste.
Another note is the meatless and vegetarian options that have recently been added to the stadium menus. While the menus are mostly comprised of burgers, hot dogs, brats, and chicken tenders, recently the Big House has offered a vegan, Beyond sausage. I am unsure of when this item was added to the menu, but I am certainly happy that this option exists!
As a pescatarian, I am always jealous of the yummy game day food at the stadium. While I was never a huge fan of hotdogs before I cut out meat in my diet, there is something about a football game that makes me crave a hotdog. Luckily, I had the pleasure of trying this vegan dog at a recent football game this year. I thought it was pretty good! My first bite was so surprising that I thought they gave me a regular brat! I would definitely recommend this to anyone who is meatless or who wants to try an alternative meat!
These are just some of the initiatives I have noticed in the three years I have been attending football games. I am sure there are more behind-the-scenes initiatives, but I am also sure there is still more work to be done to make the stadium more sustainable and less wasteful.
Below I have added some summary slides that you can share and repost with others! Download here.
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