subject: Sports Going Green [print this page] By Arto Torosoglu By Arto Torosoglu
If the green movement were to ever reach its pinnacle, we would certainly need everybody to take the initiative to follow through with change. With sports teams spending billions of dollars on new stadiums, you can only imagine how many materials and different types of machinery were used to construct them. They consume resources at tremendous rates not only to build the stadium but to maintain them as well. Then when the fans come to the games, they buy soda, beer, food, etc. which produces tons of waste. Imagine what a dent we could make in this green movement if our 400+billion dollar sports industry began to acknowledge the change. Well luckily, that's what is beginning to happen. Different sports organizations are making an effort to engage the environmental problems that these massive sporting events may cause. Major League Baseball is one of the first organizations to do so. They have implemented a Team Greening Program to consult the teams on how to conduct environmentally friendly practices. "In March 2008, Major League Baseball and the Natural Resources Defense Council announced the creation of the Team Greening Program which has been developing for two years. This program supports and coordinates the many environmentally-sensitive practices now pursued by virtually every Major League Baseball Club." (MLB.com)The MLB has probably taken the largest step so far and is only looking to expand.
Ranked as America's number one sport, football has also taken steps to go green. Their changes are not quite as dramatic as the MLB's, however any change is good change. Some of the teams now have their jerseys made with recycled materials to avoid consuming new resources. Arguably the greenest team in the NFL right now is the Philadelphia Eagles. They have taken various different steps to get not only the team involved but the employees and staff as well. "Team employees are offered reimbursement if they sign up with their local power company for renewable energy. So far, said Grant, 112 of the Eagles' 200 employees have taken the deal." (Potter) By offering these incentives you are more likely to get people involved for the right reasons. Some of the other teams that have contributed are the Indianapolis Colts, the Green Bay Packers, Oakland Raiders, and the Houston Texans. As time goes on, hopefully we can get more of the teams involved to further the changes needed to preserve the environment.
Although hockey is not the most popular sport in America, it has made large moves to promote a green culture and make changes to the sport to better the environment. "The NHL also announced today that it will replace 30,000 plastic shopping bags with reusable bags during the Stanley Cup Final. The commemorative bags, which feature the 2010 Stanley Cup Final logo, will be available for a limited time to consumers who make purchases of $10 or more at arena shops in the two Stanley Cup Final markets and at the NHL Powered by Reebok store in midtown New York City." Such a powerful move and it is only one of the thousands of different things that they have begun to do. They have all of the teams involved and have gotten all of the players and staff involved as well. The NHL is looking to make the green initiative a year round issue and do its best to get the fans involved as well.
Sports command an enormous amount of attention from the public and it is fantastic to see that they take time out of their lives to promote this green culture. Teams have such a powerful influence on their fan bases that this idea of getting players involved can really teach us to take the extra step to be more environmentally-friendly. Although some organizations have done more than others, we should be grateful that the green movement is even acknowledged. With a continued drive to improve, sports will increase interest in environmental preservation and increase overall sustainability.
