On our field trip, I jokingly suggested to Professor Brandes that we make the swim team’s upcoming meet (on Friday, 6pm, Ruef Natatorium… just sayin’) a field trip to which he jokingly responded that I should figure out how it pertains to nature.

Naturally, while at practice two days later, I gave it some thought, and came up with a few things. Having grown up around lakes and ponds and oceans and pools, I’d never given much thought to how different pools are compared to the other three in their impacts on the environment. Actually, I still don’t really know much about their impacts on the environment, but it has occurred to me with increasing frequency and alarm that they probably aren’t that great. I know that the pool has a filter that cycles mostly the same water through the pools we use here but I also know that the pool and its machinery are quite old and probably not very efficient. I also wonder about the impacts of the chemicals we use to treat the pool and whether or not if we used fewer or different substances to maintain it’s cleanliness, could we use the water in other ways after its life in the pool was over (i.e. agriculture). I have also been observing that with the increased size of our diving team this year (from 3 divers to 7) the amount of hose water used to keep them warm while they wait between dives has dramatically increased. I watch them playing around with the hose in their overflowing kiddie pool and cringe. But does that water get cycled through too?

And what about the air quality, are we polluting the air on Hamilton street every time we open the door? Is the paint coating the walls of a safe quality? Will the upcoming renovations make the pool more efficient or will they harm the campus while they’re in their demolishing and rebuilding?

In a specific meet context especially, there are a number of unsustainable practices that go on in the name of sports without regard to nature. At every meet, there is inevitably an alarming number of plastic water bottles and gatorade bottles that goes around. And coaches tend to have snacks for their athletes, which are generally individually wrapped, bulk-purchased processed snacks. I would be interested in the the amount of waste generated by these events, and how much athletes, coaches, and spectators even notice.

Certainly the swim team would love an audience, and this is 100% a shameless plug to try to get you all interested in coming, but aside from the competition, I will definitely be continuing to pay attention to these thoughts and others in order to hopefully insert any improvements in the relationship between nature and the sport I love.