Sports Teams beef up their green defense: a win for everyone

When you take a look at a typical sports stadium, it doesn’t take long to see that some of America’s favorite pastimes have less-than-stellar environmental records. Hate to break it to you, but grass isn’t naturally that green (lots of water and fertilizer), the visiting team didn’t arrive on bicycles or public transit, and all those single-use containers holding beer and hot dogs don’t biodegrade (yet!). But that doesn’t mean you should boycott sports and relegate your foam fingers to the junk drawer.

Teams are getting the picture that they have a huge impact on the Earth, and many are now trying to make that impact as positive as possible. They’re stepping up to the plate, tackling their environmental ills, and making plays to ensure everyone wins.

Here’s what’s going on in pro sports now:

Baseball
When the Washington Nationals threw out the first pitch of their 2008 season, they inaugurated the country’s first LEED Silver certified stadium, complete with a 6,300 square foot green roof, a stormwater filtration system, low-flow plumbing, and high-efficiency lighting. And get this: 80 percent of the construction waste was diverted from landfills. Click here to read more about the ballpark.

In 2007, the Colorado Rockies outfitted Coors Field with solar panels to help power the park. A screen that shows how much power is being created in real-time serves to educate ballpark about renewable energy. The Rockies continue on with their green initiative this year with their 20 Games of Green Program, which includes a “Wood for Wood” program where the team plants a tree in the Denver area for each home run they hit.

For the second consecutive year, the Philadelphia Phillies have bought 20 million kilowatt hours of Green-e certified renewable energy certificates, offsetting the carbon footprint created by electricity use at Citizens Bank Park. You can read more about the Phillies on SustainLane here.

Basketball
The NBA partnered with the Natural Resources Defense Counsel (NRDC) for their Green Week 2009. From April 2-10, each of the league’s 30 teams encouraged fans to adopt green habits by hosting community service events, tree plantings, and recycling drives. Denver Nuggets, Charlotte Bobcats, and the Chicago Bulls players wore uniforms made from 49 percent organic cotton. While it would be great if teams kept wearing their spiffy green jerseys throughout the season, it’s a start. The NBA also auctioned off signed basketballs made from recycled materials with proceeds benefiting the NRDC.


Football
The Philadelphia Eagles launched their environmental initiative way back in 2003, proving that there’s room for green on the gridiron. Last year, the team blitzed onto the green energy scene by purchasing 14 million kilowatt hours of wind power. That was enough juice to power the Lincoln Financial Field and their training facility for a whole year on 100% renewable energy. They continue to work hard on their environmental initiatives, winning a 2009 Philadelphia Sustainability Award.

The NFL as a whole is starting to follow in the Eagle’s footsteps. For Superbowl XLII, they planted 10,000 trees, donated unsold prepared food to food banks, and bought renewable energy. Check out this article from USA Today to learn more about the green Superbowl, or this page from the NFL outlining their community involvement.

From basketball to baseball to soccer, green is a go for sports teams. Maybe in the future those foam fingers will be made from cellulose or another plant-based, biodegradable material!