The next time you are sitting at your favorite home team’s stadium, take a look around. Have you ever thought about how much electricity it takes to light up those video boards and spotlights? How much refrigeration is needed to keep drinks cold? How much fuel is used to get all of those loyal fans to and from the game? Luckily there is a national movement underway—sports stadiums are going green !
The Environmental Impact of a Traditional Sports Stadium
Newly constructed and renovated conventional sports facilities are harmful to the environment. Construction activities use sixty percent of the raw materials consumed each year in the United States, other than food and fuel.1 The construction of buildings (including sports facilities), accounts for about 16% of the world’s freshwater withdrawals, 40% of the world’s material and energy flows, and 25% of wood cut for non-fuel uses.2 In addition, nonrecycled steel and concrete are still used in conventional stadiums. This behavior contributes to increased carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
In addition to the construction phase, operating a sports stadium also requires the use of natural resources. Professional teams produce between 179 and 716 tons of carbon per game. Compare that to the approximate 41.5 tons of carbon per year that an average American household of four people produces.7 So how do stadiums produce so much collective carbon? Consider this: Major League Baseball (MLB) alone attracts more than seventy-nine million attendees over the course of any given season.8 The fans themselves “produce mountains of trash by the time they leave, nearly all of which ends up in landfills.”9 MLB stadiums, along with other sports facilities, consume vast amounts of resources, including thousands of kilowatt-hours of electricity to power the lights and millions of gallons of water to flush the toilets and irrigate the playing fields.10 For example, the New York Yankees new stadium was estimated to increase traffic in an already congested area of the city, increasing car exhaust and continuing to contribute to higher asthma rates among neighborhood residents.11
Greening Sports Stadiums
Many sports stadiums are recognizing that going green is good for the environment and for saving money. As discussed in a previous article on biodiesel , and compostable food wrappers.
Don Smolenski, president of the Eagles, has remarked that “we try not to preach, but we definitely want to promote and encourage.” This method may explain the humorous signs in the men’s rooms that say: “Recycle your beer here and your plastics outside,” and “The only water we waste is sweat.”13
The Philadelphia Eagles are not alone. Recently, the National Resources Defense Council (NRDC) started a campaign to help pro sports teams be more environmentally friendly. In 2012, the NRDC issued a report called “Game Changer: How the sports industry is saving the environment.”15 Some of the findings include:16
- Of the 126 professional teams in the five major North American sporting leagues, 38 use renewable energy for at least some of their needs, and 68 have energy-efficiency programs.
- Eighteen venues have installed solar panels.
- “Virtually all” pro venues currently run or are developing recycling programs.
- Fifteen pro venues have been certified as “green” under Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) . The 49ers’ new stadium in Santa Clara, CA is targeted to open in 2014 with LEED certification!17
NRDC’s involvement in the world of professional sports began in 2004 when senior scientist Allen Herchkowitz was talking to board member and famous actor Robert Redford about reaching out to untraditional allies. “Redford says to us, ‘You know, if you want to meet Americans, you’ve got to go to a baseball game or a football game. You’ve got to go to one of these stadiums. That’s where America is.'” The idea sparked a campaign, which now includes “Greening Advisors,” which are online primers and guides for professional sports venue managers that explain basic ideas about paper procurement, energy use, waste removal, transportation, and solar procurement.18
Some of the many successes in the greening sports stadiums world include:
- 3,750 solar panels (2.5 acres) installed on the roof of a building adjacent the CenturyLink Field, home of the Seattle Seahawks (NFL) and Seattle Sounders (Major League Soccer)
- A rainwater collection system for use in washing down the seating area at Target Field, home the Minnesota Twins (MLB).
- A reflective roof and underground parking at AmericanAirlines Arena, home of the Miami Heat (NBA).
- A 24% reduction in energy use over the last three years at Busch Stadium, home of the St. Louis Cardinals (MLB).
- Savings of over $1 million a year from reductions in energy costs and waste costs at the Safeco, home of the Seattle Mariners (MLB).
- The NASCAR Green program, which recycles used tires and plants trees to offset carbon emissions.
- 40,000 solar panels at Pocono Raceway in Pennsylvania.19
- A partnership between The EPA and MetLife Stadium Company to incorporate environmentally-friendly materials and practices into MetLife Stadium, home of the New York Giants and New York Jets (NFL).20
- • The first net-zero-energy stadium in the world, Estádio Nacional de Brasília, in the middle of Brazil’s capital Brasília, which will open for the next world cup in 2012 and the 2016 Olympics.21
You can find more information about greening sports venues and about the greenest stadiums at the following sites:
http://greensportsalliance.org/
http://greensportsvenues.com/
