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The push to green-up sports is a joint effort by many organizations, including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), U.S. Green Building Council, Natural Resources Defense Council, and others who formed the Green Sports Alliance with the shared goal of “making sports more sustainable.”
At present, the Alliance has 188 total members made up of 709 collegiate and professional teams at 102 venues in seven leagues. Membership is open to any sports team, venue, or program and requires an ongoing commitment to making less waste, using less energy and water, eliminating toxic chemicals, and in general, “integrating sustainability into their core operations.”
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To date, the programs are a huge success for the environment, for the members, and even for local communities. One such story is that of the Barclay’s Center, home of the New York Nets and the first sports and entertainment venue in metropolitan New York to earn LEED Silver certification for sustainable design and construction. Thanks to careful siting, the structure helps reduce local vehicular traffic, reduces heat in the surrounding urban area via a concrete roof, and uses low-flow and high-efficiency water and energy systems.
Another innovative example is the University of Oregon’s Autzen Stadium program that recycles 200 to 600 gallons of used cooking oil after each Duck’s game. The oil, along with oil from other university facilities, is turned into biodiesel through a partnership with SeQuential Pacific Biodiesel, a company founded in an on-campus incubator by University of Oregon graduates. The company also provides the same services for several other northwest U.S. sports venues in Oregon and Washington.
In cooperation with the Green Sports Alliance and in response to President Obama’s Climate Action Plan, the EPA recently announced the creation of its online Green Sports Resource Directory and Green Sports Scoreboard to provide additional information for members, potential members, and fans. The site offers something for all stakeholders, including dozens of success stories, explanations of benefits, models and calculators for such things as the Energy Star portfolio manager, tools for food waste management and electronics benefits, as well as a wealth of sustainability information specific to colleges and universities.
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In addition, the Green Sports Scoreboard quantifies specific accomplishments achieved in different areas of sustainability. For example, at Safeco Field, home of the Seattle Mariners, the old incandescent scoreboard and cooling system was replaced with a new LED scoreboard that uses 90 pecent less energy and saves $50,000 annually in energy costs. If that isn’t enough, Safeco Field has also implemented other greenhouse gas emissions initiatives that have reduced “carbon dioxide equivalent emissions by 21.2 million pounds per year.”
Not to leave fans out in the cold, EPA’s website also offers sustainability-related articles and tips for tailgating, alternative transportation, and plenty of information about greenhouse gas emissions and how to calculate them. If you would like to check out your favorite team, the EPA also offers a rundown of some teams, what they are doing, and what their goals are for long-term sustainable sports.
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