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Penn State Grows Green Sports Program

2013-04-25T15:00:00Z

Alice Henly, Research Fellow, New York

This week Penn State University hosted NRDC and the Green Sports Alliance as part of their Earth Week celebrations, which coincided with the annual Blue-White spring football game. It was the perfect opportunity to talk green sports.

Since 1995, Penn State has worked to implement more environmentally friendly practices throughout athletics and recreation. Penn State University is home to the first U.S. ballpark to be awarded LEED certification. In 2006, Medlar Field became LEED certified thanks to a variety of greener building practices, including: using only waterless urinals, plumbing for grey water throughout, using recycled content for all locally-manufactured stadium seats, an advanced recycling program and diverting over 75% of construction waste from landfill.

Some other examples of their successes to date in greener sports operations include:

Achieving LEED Gold certification for their recent Recreation Hall expansion.
Achieving zero waste at the Bryce Jordan Center.
Recycling an average of 85 tons annually during football games to save approximately $12,500 in cleanup costs per game.
Donating all recycling proceeds to United Way --over $85,000 since 1995.
Establishing the Students Taking Action To Encourage Recycling (S.T.A.T.E.R.S) program to help encourage recycling during football games.
Distributing over 100 A-frames with free 70%-postconsumer-recycled bags throughout all tailgating areas.
Building the new Pegula Ice Rink to LEED Gold standards, which will open in 2013.

While in town, we had the privilege of touring these impressive facilities and programs as well as presenting to the Smeal College of Business Net Impact group about the professional and collegiate sports greening movement. The students were energized to build on the S.T.A.T.E.R.S program to integrate student-led greening projects across athletics and reaction facilities at Penn State.

Net Impact students plan to join with a newly formed staff Athletics Green Team to take advantage of the strong business case for greening, from operational cost savings to branding opportunities and attracting new sponsors. The staff/student green sports coalition seeks to grow Penn State's leadership in sustainability on campus and throughout their community by using their powerful sports platform.

"Sustainability is a great way to lead our community, and we all have a role to play," said Bill O'Brien, head coach of Penn State's football team. "After all, Penn State has the first LEED stadium in the United States."

Get involved in the growing green sports movement and learn about the NRDC Sports Project by following us at @NRDCGreenSports and #GreenSports.

NBA Launches Environmental Data System During Green Week 2013

2013-04-04T16:00:39Z

Alice Henly, Research Fellow, New York

Today, in conjunction with opening day of NBA G reen Week 2013, the National Basketball Association is launching a league-wide online tool designed to measure their environmental impact.

In partnership with the Natural Resources Defense Council and Renewable Choice Energy, this “Mosaic” tool will allow all 30 NBA teams to recognize, track and analyze many components of their environmental footprint. It will also help identify cost saving opportunities associated with improved resource efficiency at NBA venues.

The NBA’s new environmental data system will assist its many teams record and manage data related to their energy use, water consumption, waste generation and paper procurement, among other environmental impacts. This system will help enhance the performance of NBA arenas nationwide for years to come, with benefits that far exceed the positive impact of the league’s annual Green Week.

With this launch, the NBA will join Major League Baseball and the National Hockey League as the three professional sports leagues to provide comprehensive environmental data tracking systems for all of their teams. These tools are reinforcing these leagues’ strong commitment to enhancing their environmental performance and give back to communities nationwide by protecting the natural resources we all rely on.

The NBA, however, stands alone as the only major professional sports league in the world to host an annual weeklong celebration of environmental stewardship. The league and many of the teams are embracing this opportunity to promote protecting our planet again this year.

For example, some of the other noteworthy league-based Green Week initiatives happening this year include:

Powering all 67 NBA games taking place during Green Week nationwide with clean, renewable energy. The NBA has partnered with Sterling Planet to offset all of the electricity used during these games with wind power. This will avoid the production of more than 10 million pounds of carbon. It’s one of the largest pollution offset initiatives by any sports league worldwide, and the only one to involve every team in the league.
Launching a “Pledge to Recycle” online fan contest that tips off today, April 4, and continues through May 16. Fans who pledge to recycle their old mobile devices can enter to win a grand prize trip for two to the 2013 Finals. Fans can learn more at NBA.com/SprintPledge.
Hosting electronic recycling events featuring current and former NBA players in three NBA markets – Los Angeles (Clippers), Boston (Celtics), and Orlando (Magic). As part of the Sprint Buyback program, fans will be able to recycle their eligible phones from any carrier and receive up to a $300 service credit from Sprint, along with autographs, tickets to upcoming games, and other giveaway items. Through this program, Sprint has kept more than 28 million wireless devices out of landfills.

Learn more about the NBA's impressive greening work by reading their case study feature in NRDC’s report “Game Changer: How the Sports Industry is Saving the Environment”.

Download your copy of the full report at www.nrdc.org/game-changer to find out how the NBA and many NBA teams have teamed up with NRDC to implement greener, more efficient practices.

Get involved in the growing green sports movement and learn about the NRDC Sports Project by following us at @NRDCGreenSports.

NBA Teams Play Green In Celebration of Green Week 2013

2013-04-04T16:00:00Z

Alice Henly, Research Fellow, New York

The NBA stands alone as the only major professional sports league in the world to host an annual weeklong celebration of environmental stewardship—NBA Green Week, April 4th to 12th. The league and many of its teams are embracing this opportunity to promote protecting our planet again this year.

To find out about the many league-based Green Week initiatives already underway this month, in partnership with the NRDC Sports Project, please check out these two blogs: “NBA Launches Environmental Data System During Green Week 2013” and “NBA’s Green Week Is Unique”.

In addition to the league initiatives, many NBA teams have hosted or will host a wide variety of Green Week-related events in communities across the country. For example:

The Portland Trail Blazers are launching their annual “Bike to Blazers” event during their Green Awareness Game (April 17 vs. Dallas). For the event, they encourage fans to meet at a specified location downtown and bike a predetermined route to the game wearing their Trail Blazers colors. The Blazers’ LEED Gold certified Rose Garden Arena has bicycle parking for over 200. But due to the popularity of this event, the Blazers provide additional bike parking.
The Minnesota Timberwolves’ FastBreak Foundation has teamed up again with My 29 to create a statewide “Think Green” school competition encouraging schools to submit their plan on who their school or classroom is making the effort to 'Go Green' and preserve and protect the environment. The winning school receives a $2,500 grant, a 'Green Wolfie' trophy, and on-court recognition on April 13th.
The Houston Rockets helped students from the Briscoe and Rodriguez Elementary transition their winter garden to spring garden and assisted with composting. Rockets staff also planted 25 trees at Houston Gardens Elementary. And for their first Green Week game against the Magic, the Rockets will give out a Rockets reusable water bottle to the first 3,000 fans in attendance at their LEED Silver certified Toyota Center.
The New York Knicks will contribute to a Volunteer Planting Day in the Bronx, which is part of New York City’s “Million Trees” program. The Knicks also have an ongoing “3’s for Trees” program that plants a tree in a New York City Park for every 3-pointer a Knicks player makes in a game.
Leading up to NBA Green Week, San Antonio Spurs guard Danny Green joined students from MacArthur High School’s Team Up Challenge group and the San Antonio River Authority to plant flowers and conduct water testing along the banks of the San Antonio River.
The Boston Celtics supported the Wetherbee School recycling contest to encourage each student to recycle soda, juice and plastic water bottles. Volunteers from the Boston Celtics read “I Can Save the Earth!” before a school-wide recycling assembly to discuss the importance of taking care of the environment and ways everyone can help to maintain a green Earth. Students were also treated to a dunk show with Celtics mascot Lucky.
The Atlanta Hawks are planting trees along the Atlanta Belt Line and donating $7,500 to Trees Atlanta for further beautification projects during their April 12th game vs. Milwaukee. The Hawks also have an ongoing “Three’s for Trees” program at their LEED Certified Philips Arena.
The Toronto Raptors are hosting an NBA Green Night with environmental education and messaging for all fans as well as information about the arena’s successful reduction of utility consumption by 10%, greenhouse gases by 30% and divert 74% of waste from landfill.
The Chicago Bulls are educating their fans about how they can reduce their impact on the environment with an online green act contest to win game tickets.
The Memphis Grizzlies are hosting a “Grizzlies Go Green Expo,” on April 13th where fans will learn how to live greener, thanks to volunteers from Memphis and Mid-South sustainability non-profit groups. There will also be special “Green Tips” shown during the game to educate fans and a special, expanded in-arena recycling collection. Food will also be served using a special plant-based biodegradable product. To help further promote awareness of the importance of recycling, Coors Light will be offering fans a complimentary Grizzlies koozie, made 100% from recycled materials, with the purchase of a Coors Light product.
The Denver Nuggets hosted 50 second graders from Dora Moore K-8 School at Denver Botanic Gardens to learn about gardening and the importance of protecting the environment. This included preparing gardens for spring planting, learning about the importance of plants to the environment and planting pansies.
The Orlando Magic is encouraging students to adopt a “Think Green” attitude in their everyday lives by competing in Think Green® Art Contest. Through participation in this art contest, students can learn about the importance of keeping the environment clean while using creativity to show how everyone can have an impact on our ecosystems. As part of the prize, the student will be featured on-court at the LEED Silver certified Amway Center, presented with the Green NBA basketball, and have their artwork displayed at fan fest.
The Oklahoma City Thunder holds an annual Green Week initiative that will benefit the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma. It will partner with Hertz’s “Hertz 24/7 Give+Go” program that provides donations to local charities when customers rent certain vehicles. Two “green” vehicles in the Hertz On Demand 24/7 fleet will be wrapped with Thunder colors and logos. Between now and the end of June, every time the cars are rented, the first hour of each rental will be donated to the Regional Food Bank. A one-hour rental of these vehicles will provide up to 50 meals for Oklahoma families. The cars will be on display during Thunder Alley, the Thunder pregame festivities on Reno Ave., prior to the games on April 4 and 7.

Learn more about the NBA's impressive greening work by reading their case study feature in NRDC’s report “Game Changer: How the Sports Industry is Saving the Environment”.

Download your copy of the full report at www.nrdc.org/game-changer to find out how the NBA and many NBA teams have teamed up with NRDC to implement greener, more efficient practices.

Get involved in the growing green sports movement and learn about the NRDC Sports Project by following us at @NRDCGreenSports.

Bowdoin College Growing Their Green Athletes Program with NRDC

2013-03-05T19:00:00Z

Alice Henly, Research Fellow, New York

Bowdoin College has long worked to incorporate sustainability efforts into its sports operations, including building the first hockey arena in the U.S. to be awarded LEED certification for New Construction. Now, Bowdoin’s student-athletes are championing sustainability throughout their teams and sports facilities to help further improve their campus’s environmental performance, while also helping protect the fate of their mascot—the Polar Bear.

Bowdoin Green Athletes (BGA), established May 2012, is made up of representatives from each varsity team. The athletes work with their teammates, the Athletics Director, and the Sustainable Bowdoin Coordinator, as well as staff and student Eco-Reps, to develop new sustainability projects within Bowdoin’s athletics and recreation facilities. Their goal is to use sports to bring the campus together in order to reduce the campus’s ecological footprint while raising awareness about the importance of environmental stewardship.

So far the BGA has worked on a variety of projects, including:

Posting signs about resource savings in all campus locker rooms (such as: “This locker room has low-flow showers, faucets, toilets, and urinals, which result in a 38% reduction in water use from that of normal fixtures.”)
Implementing a shoe recycling program throughout sports facilities
Ramping up composting and recycling at games in an effort to be the first NESCAC School to win the EPA Game Day Challenge (which measures how much waste can be recycled and composted at a football game).

The College has also taken several measures to incorporate sustainability into Bowdoin’s sports buildings and opertions. Notably, two of the campus’s three LEED-certified buildings are sports facilities—the Buck Fitness Recreation Center and the Watson Hockey Arena.

The College’s two basketball courts, the track and the tennis courts all feature energy-efficient lighting (upgraded in the last four years). Bowdoin also uses organic fertilizer treatments almost exclusively on its fields.

The Watson Arena stands out as the first hockey arena in the United States to receive LEED certification for New Construction. Some of the green features of the arena include:

82% of all construction waste was diverted from landfill.
30% of building products include pre- and/or post-consumer recycled content.
40% of new building materials came from within 500 miles of the construction site.
Low-flow water fixtures reduce water use by 22%.
Low-volatile organic compound adhesives, sealants, paints, and carpets were used to improve indoor air quality.
A reflective roof was installed to minimize the heat island effect.
Landscaping incorporated indigenous plants that do not require irrigation to conserve water.

In the future, BGA aims to expand recycling and minimize waste during athletic contests, compile pledges from all teams, and ultimately implement clothing recycling. If you’re part of the Bowdoin community and would like to get involved, please contact Alex Tougas, atougas@bowdoin.edu.

With their successes to date, Bowdoin is helping the NESCAC athletics conference expand their sports greening work and join athletics conferences like the Ivy League, PAC 12 and SEC, all embracing the sports greening movement. Thanks to the resources and support from the NRDC Sports project, the Green Sports Alliance and U.S EPA, these burgeoning green sports efforts are advancing sustainability on campuses nationwide.

To learn more, look out for NRDC’s next Game Changer report, which will be devoted to the leading case studies in collegiate sports greening and is slated to be released this summer. Find out more about NRDC’s sports greening resources at www.nrdc.org/sports.

Keep up the good work Bowdoin Polar Bears!

Bates Sustainable Athletes Group Hosts Sports Greening Event Featuring NRDC

2013-03-04T20:00:00Z

Alice Henly, Research Fellow, New York

Last week, the Bates Sustainable Athletes group hosted their first sports green event. Sustainable Athletes is a newly formed student group with a mission to “bring awareness to and reduce the ecological impact of sports at Bates.”

The group was founded and is managed by student athletes in partnership with the Athletics Department, Eco-Reps, and the Sustainability office within the Facilities Department.

The students are working to create programs that help make Bates athletics more sustainable, while engaging the wider campus community in their efforts to improve the environmental profile of their facilities for all varsity, club, and intramural sports.

Some of their initiatives to date include:

Working with coaches to provide all athletes with reusable BPA-free water bottles.
Saving plastic and money by not purchasing bottled water for team travel.
Packaging all food travel in bulk, instead of individually for each athlete, to cut down on excess packaging and waste.
Encouraging greener choices (like recycling) with environmental outreach such as posting posters around athletics locker rooms and holding campus-wide educational events.

Their first educational event, held last Thursday, February 29th, was a success, drawing many students as well as faculty. I spoke at the event, representing the NRDC Sports project, about the growing collegiate sports greening movement, which is acting as a catalyst for advancing sustainability on campuses nationwide.

Greening athletics and recreation is inspiring students to think and act more sustainably both in the classroom and on the field. This movement helps translate green lessons into greener lifestyles, while working to improve resource efficiency in athletics facilities and often to cut operational costs.

Bates is among several colleges in the NESCAC athletics conference expanding their sports greening programs. In fact, more and more athletics conferences, from the Ivy League to the PAC 12 and SEC, are embracing the sports greening movement with resources and support from NRDC, the Green Sports Alliance and U.S EPA.

If you’re part of the Bates community and would like to get involved, please contact Nicole at nbrill@bates.edu or Kate at kdeangel@bates.edu.

Cornell Holds Zero Landfill Game and Eco-Panel Featuring NFL Star Ovie Mughelli and NRDC

2013-02-26T15:00:00Z

Alice Henly, Research Fellow, New York

It was a big weekend for sports greening at Cornell. The University hosted two impressive events to advance Cornell’s work in athletics sustainability.

First, the University held a panel discussion featuring two-time Pro Bowl NFL player and eco athlete Ovie Mughelli and me, representing the NRDC Sports project, to help educate students and staff about the huge impact greening athletics and recreation can have on campus sustainability.

Second, Cornell’s facilities department teamed up with the athletics and sustainability offices to divert from landfill 100% of the waste produced at the Saturday night varsity basketball game against Princeton.

Both events were a success and are just the beginning of Cornell’s growing involvement in sports greening. In addition, the weekend’s athletics greening waste diversion successes were integrated into Cornell’s broader sustainability goals as part of the campus-wide “Compete 2 Reduce” competition.

Ovie Mughelli spoke from the perspective of an athlete, father and sports fan about the urgency of the environmental challenges we all face. “Why does an NFL star care about the planet? Because we need a healthy climate, clean air and clean water to play sports,” he explained. “Even more than that, protecting the environment should matter to all of us because we rely on it every day to stay healthy and live well. I have to do everything I can to leave a healthy planet for my kids, otherwise how could I sleep at night?”

Ovie’s passion for the environment led him to create the Ovie Mughelli Foundation, an environmental foundation with the tagline “Our Future Is Green,” to help spread the word about people being at the heart of environmental issues. “Environmental degradation is a people problem. It already impacts or will impact all of us in some way. But it can also be a people solution.”

Students, including the sustainability interns pictured here, were excited to get the opportunity to hear from inspirational speakers like Ovie. They were also proud of the variety of green components of the panel event, including:

Compostable serviceware
Recycling and composting stations (organic waste collected was composted on campus)
Paperless event promotions
Readily available campus shuttle buses to the lecture hall

The panel took place before the evening’s varsity basketball game against Princeton, which also featured composting and recycling stations. The University’s recycling center, R5 Operations, stationed staff members throughout Cornell’s Newman Arena to help guide fans on how to properly dispose of their waste.

The compostable serviceware—paper plates, napkins, cups and popcorn bags—were also pictured on signs attached to all compost bins. The recycling bins featured permanent Cornell-branded signs listing acceptable recyclables.

A post-game sorting of all collected refuse was the last step in achieving Cornell’s first zero landfill game. Achieving a zero waste goal helps protect habitat, save energy, water, as well as resources such as forests, fossil fuels, metals, while helping to mitigate climate change.

Composting reduces the amount of waste directed to landfills by transforming organic waste into useful fertilizer. It also prevents the emissions of harmful greenhouse gasses because when organic compounds decompose in a landfill, they generate methane, a potent greenhouse gas.

Recycling paper, cardboard, metals, and plastics, also helps reduce greenhouse gas emissions as well as the harmful impacts caused by the extraction and processing of these resources, including oil spills, deforestation, biodiversity loss, and water pollution. Manufacturing products from recycled content is less polluting than producing the same products from newly harvested or extracted materials. Making paper from recycled fibers, for example, uses less energy and less water, produces less air and water pollution, and conserves trees and landfill space.

Congratulations to Cornell for successfully achieving zero waste, defined by the Zero Waste International Alliance as diverting over 90% of all waste from landfills and incinerators, for Saturday night’s basketball game. The final overall diversion rate was 96% from landfill, with 65 pounds of recycled materials, 17 pounds of compost and 3 pounds of landfilled waste.

Cornell’s growing sports greening initiatives are also helping to move the Ivy League’s broader green goals forward. In fact, the Ivy League is the first athletics conference to partner with NRDC to make a formal commitment to environmental stewardship.

The League is working with NRDC to enhance the environmental profile of Ivy Championships and provide greening resources to all Ivy Athletic Departments to help improve the environmental footprint of their operations. Find out more about NRDC’s sports greening resources at www.nrdc.org/sports.

NBA Celebrates Greener All-Star Game At LEED Silver Certified Toyota Center

2013-02-19T16:47:35Z

Alice Henly, Research Fellow, New York

This year the NBA All-Star weekend featured greener game-day practices and was hosted by the Houston Rockets at their LEED Silver certified Toyota Center. It was awesome—from the Saturday night dunk contest to the high-scoring “East vs. West” game on Sunday to the outdoor pickup games happening on the public court alongside the arena all weekend long.

The Toyota Center is putting Houston on the map, both for basketball championships and green building.

In 2010 the Toyota Center became the first professional sports facility in Texas to achieve LEED certification. And according to Greg Poole, director of facility operations, it was among only two or three other buildings in Houston that were LEED-certified at the time. As of 2012, there are now more than 100 LEED-certified buildings in the Houston area.

NBA Green, a program of NBA Cares, worked hard to make sure the events leading up to and throughout All-Star weekend featured greener practices.

The NBA tipped off the NBA All-Star 2013 in Houston with two successful e-recycling events featuring renowned players, in partnership with Sprint, CompuCycle and NRDC. On Friday February 8th NBA Legend Robert Horry and Houston Rocket Dancers hosted the e-recycling event.

On Saturday February 9th the electronic waste recycling drives were led by NBA Legends Elvin Hayes and Calvin Murphy, encouraging fans to recycle phones and other electronics such as computers, televisions, VCRs, stereos, copiers and fax machines.

The NBA’s ongoing work in electronics recycling, with the guidance of NRDC, is admirable because of the serious environmental and health risks electronic waste poses in landfills.

When thrown into the trash, e-waste ends up in landfills or incinerators, and these toxic heavy metals can be emitted as air pollutants or drain into soils and waters, polluting lakes and streams and making them unfit for drinking, swimming, fishing, and wildlife. The value of these metals, including some precious metals, is also lost when discarded.

The best solution for electronic waste is to take it to collection events, recyclers, or take-back programs that use an e-Stewards Recycler, which the NBA always strives to use. The e-Stewards certification uses the highest standard to ensure recyclers protect the global ecosystem and human health when it comes to electronics recycling.

Other green initiatives integrated throughout All-Star weekend from February 15th to 17th included:

Placing recycling stations throughout the arena.
Arranging for a green team, made up of 20 volunteers wearing visible green team shirts, to collect recycleables throughout the arena during and after events.
Scheduling shuttle buses to transport thousands of fans to and from all major hotels in the region for all arena events.
Making several announcements throughout events—on all arena screens, over the loudspeaker and via social media—reminding fans to recycle and to watch out for the green team volunteers with slogans like “Remember a true NBA All-Star recycles."

“Toyota Center has a unique opportunity to serve as an industry leader in the future of sustainability,” says Rockets Chief Executive Officer Tad Brown. “We are operating in a more environmentally conscious manner and educating the millions of patrons that attend Toyota Center events each year regarding ways they can help.”

In addition to the greening initiatives at the 2013 All-Star weekend, the Toyota Center’s many green accomplishments include:

Reducing overall electricity use by more than 27% since 2003 and earning EnergyStar recognition by implementing energy efficiency measures, including installing a Building Automation System, compact fluorescent light bulbs throughout the venue (resulting in savings of $70,000 annually), and motion light sensors in offices.
Installing low-flow faucets, toilets, and urinals to reduce potable water use by 30 percent.
Achieving a 50 percent reduction in landscaping water use by using native plants and installing a drip irrigation system.
Increasing indoor air quality with entry mats that reduce particulates entering building and MERV 14 air filters on air handlers to reduce energy use.
Introducing a high performance green cleaning program including Green Seal-certified products.

Learn more about the Toyota Center’s impressive greening work by reading their case study feature in NRDC’s report “Game Changer: How the Sports Industry is Saving the Environment”.

Download your copy of the full report at www.nrdc.org/game-changer to find out how the NBA and many other NBA teams have teamed up with NRDC to implement greener, more efficient practices.

Photo 1 Credit: NBAE/Dave Einsel; Photo 2 Credit: Bill Baptiste; Photo 3 & 4 Credit: Alice Henly.

University of Pennsylvania Launches Student Athletics Eco-Reps Team

2013-02-06T20:05:44Z

Alice Henly, Research Fellow, New York

Last week the University of Pennsylvania held a kickoff event for their newly formed Athletics Eco-Reps team in collaboration with Wharton’s Initiative for Global Environmental Leadership and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). The celebration was a big success, with over 150 student and staff attendees, and featured special guests from the Ivy League, Green Sports Alliance, Philadelphia Eagles’ Lincoln Financial Field, Penn State and Swarthmore College.

The NRDC Sports project, as the leading environmental advisors to all professional sports leagues as well as the Ivy League athletics conference, was invited to make the keynote speech at the event. It was an honor to attend and the enthusiasm for sports greening—amongst students, coaches, faculty and other staff—was contagious.

The Athletics Eco-Reps team, comprised of 13 student-athletes, first met at the beginning of academic year in September 2012. It’s led by Dan Schupsky, assistant swim coach and pool facilities manager, and is part of Penn’s Green Campus Partnership that works throughout the University to promote better environmental practices and policies.

Dan explained to the Daily Pennsylvanian that the Athletics Eco-Reps aim “to act as an internal consulting group and comb through each athletic team to find out how each can be greener.” They also plan to tackle Penn’s recreation facilities.

The student-athletes, who were required to apply for the opportunity to be an Athletics Eco-Rep, each choose an environmental topic to research and develop practical solutions to help enhance the environmental profile of Penn Athletics’ operations. Topics include energy conservation, waste and recycling practices, water conservation strategies, alternative transportation and environmental education.

The Athletics Eco-Reps engage other students, staff, and faculty throughout the University and work to develop inter-team programs that help athletics and other student-athletes adopt more sustainable behaviors.

“Identifying issues and benchmarking were crucial to getting the program off and running,” said sophomore gymnastics Eco-Rep Sara Allen (center of photo) about the program, “and I am really looking forward to moving forward with the projects we set up this semester.”

Each Athletic Eco-Rep was honored at the kickoff event, which served as a catalyst for further environmental awareness and action by a broader group of students and staff throughout the University. The event helped prove the value of using sports as a platform for communicating important ecological messages like recycling, energy efficiency and saving water to thousands, even millions of sports fans and members of the local community.

The event not only talked the talk but also walked the walk, by employing greener practices. These included:

Serving only locally sourced food for the dinner, provided by Bon Appetit.
Using only compostable dinner serviceware.
Placing composting and recycling containers throughout the room.
Encouraging Attendees to donate used shoes in boxes available during the event, which were repurposed and donated to places of need.
Encouraging attendees to take home uneaten, prepared food to reduce waste.

Penn’s Athletics Eco-Reps team is an important next step in Penn’s overall sports greening program, which also boasts an impressive LEED Gold certified weights training center (called Weiss Pavilion) and an organic, chemical-free Compost Tea turf maintenance system.

Penn’s sports greening initiatives are helping to move the Ivy League’s broader environmental stewardship goals forward. In fact, the Ivy League is the first athletics conference to partner with NRDC to make a formal commitment to greening. The League is working with NRDC to enhance the environmental profile of Ivy Championships and provide greening resources to all Ivy Athletic Departments to help improve the environmental footprint of their operations.

And thanks to Penn’s event, other nearby campuses, including both Penn State and Swarthmore, are looking at establishing a sports greening program of their own.

Watch the highlight video of the kickoff event.

Green Sports Alliance Comes to New York

2012-11-15T20:02:05Z

Alice Henly, Research Fellow, New York

Today the Green Sports Alliance announced that their third annual Summit will be held in New York City, from August 26th to 28th 2013.

It may be tough to top the epic launch of the Green Sports Alliance Environmental Leadership Award, bestowed upon MLB Commissioner Bud Selig, at the second annual Summit in Seattle this past September. Nevertheless, the New York event will also mark several significant firsts for the Alliance.

1. It will be the first time that the Alliance Summit is held on the East Coast, in recognition of the Alliance’s impressive increase in sports team and venue members from across the continent.

“The Green Sports Alliance has seen significant membership growth across North America since its inception and the 2013 Summit location reflects our geographical diversity,” says Scott Jenkins, Chairman of the Green Sports Alliance and Vice President of Ballpark Operations at the Seattle Mariners.

Since its founding in mid-2010 by NRDC, Paul Allen’s Vulcan Inc. and six professional sports teams, the Alliance’s membership has grown to nearly 150 teams and venues from across 14 leagues.

“We’re excited to bring the Summit to the East Coast to showcase the great strides teams and venues in the region have made in sustainable practices and stakeholder engagement,” explains Jenkins. “And, to continue to help advance the green sports movement.”

2. It will be the first time that the Alliance Summit will include a workshop devoted entirely to collegiate sports greening. The session will provide a forum for students, athletes, and collegiate sports administrators, among many others, to learn from and share better practices in professional and collegiate sports greening.

3. It will also be the first time that the Alliance, in partnership with NRDC’s Collegiate Sports Greening Project, will feature a series of sports greening resources devoted to collegiate athletics and recreation. Yes, that means, collegiate athletic and recreation departments check back for more!, as the Alliance and NRDC release more information about the first-ever athletics greening toolkits and publications on leading collegiate sports greening programs.

Here are all the details on the Green Sports Alliance and their 2013 New York Summit:

WHO -- The Green Sports Alliance is a non-profit organization with a mission to help sports teams, venues and leagues enhance their environmental performance. Alliance members represent nearly 150 professional and collegiate sports teams and venues from 14 different sports leagues.

WHAT -- The Green Sports Alliance Summit brings together professional and collegiate sports organizations with sports industry leaders and environmental and sustainability thought leaders. The Summit is a platform to create and share innovative solutions to improve the environmental performance of an entire industry. The 2012 Summit in Seattle saw more than 500 attendees with representation from over 50 professional and collegiate sports teams and venues engaging in a unique and dynamic program — learning from, sharing with and inspiring each other to find a better way to play.

WHY -- The sports industry is uniquely positioned to make large scale impact in the environmental performance of many of our largest public spaces. Sports teams also play a special role in influencing citizens and mobilizing communities to take action. The Summit seeks to highlight better practices for enhancing performance and fostering a dialogue with stakeholders and fans about environmental stewardship.

WHEN -- August 26-28, 2013

WHERE -- New York Marriott at the Brooklyn Bridge, 333 Adams Street, Brooklyn, New York 11201

Green Grilling: A Tailgater's Contribution to the Sports Greening Movement

2012-09-13T06:00:00Z

Alice Henly, Research Fellow, New York

Dressed to match their team’s finest, grillers across the country sear and flip their way through millions of burgers, hotdogs, cuts of chicken, and fish fillets at sports tailgates every year.

While grilling will remain the heart of the best tailgates, as the sports greening movement grows greener practices is the next big innovation in tailgating. More and more professional sports leagues, teams and venues are making more efficient, healthy and ecologically intelligent choices and have begun to encourage their tailgating fans to do the same.

Some teams (like the Philadelphia Eagles) provide recycling bags to tailgaters, and some leagues (like the National Hockey League) collect recyclables from tailgating parties. Many teams and leagues are also educating their fans about the importance of making more sustainable food choices, composting leftover food and reducing waste, as well as leading by example.

If following the lead of sports icons isn’t motivation enough, worries about costs, cholesterol, contaminated meat, dwindling sea life and the future of America’s ecosystems also make a greener approach to tailgating worthwhile.

Here are some basic tactics of greener grilling:

Add fruit and vegetables to the mix: what's not to love about having more reasons to grill more kinds of food? Grilling offers very tempting options for vegetables--whether it's searing thick-cut portobellos or skewering bite-sized chunks of onion and green pepper. Of course, there's also traditional grilled corn--add a dash of salt and lime juice or chili powder to balance the natural sweetness. Try these healthy fish tacos with grilled corn, cilantro and mago salsa.
Choose sustainably-produced meat (including chicken and fish): Look for products marked with the USDA Organic seal. That label ensures the meat is held to a higher standard. And by buying it you’ll be supporting farmers who raise healthier animals.
Use propane to avoid burning your food: Use propane instead of charcoal because it provides an unmatched level of control and evenness of heat over the grill's surface--and that means less burnt food and food waste, and more importantly for your health, less undercooked food.
Know when you’re full enough and store leftovers for later to reduce food waste: The environmental cost of wasted food is staggering: 25 percent of all fresh water and 4 percent of all oil consumed in this country are used to produce food that is never eaten.
Bring reusable serviceware and containers, and cloth napkins to cut waste: Pack reusable utensils to reduce waste (and cost). Don’t forget to collect recyclables and compost in separate bags.

For more green grilling tips and recipes read NRDC’s Green Grilling Guide. To learn more about the sports greening movement sweeping North America check out the NRDC Sports Greening Project and read our report “Game Changer: How the Sports Industry is Saving The World”, the most authoritative compilation of sports greening case studies from across North America.

Photo credit: David Reber's Hammer Photography/Flickr

Take Note Collegiate Athletics: Sports Greening Is a Business Win for Professional Sports

2012-09-05T16:30:00Z

Alice Henly, Research Fellow, New York

“Environmental stewardship resonates with all of us who love baseball and seeing it played on green grass and under blue skies. As we strive to fulfill our social responsibilities, the national pastime will continue to protect our natural resources for future generations of baseball fans and set an example they can be proud of,” writes Major League Baseball Commissioner Allan H. (Bud) Selig, in his Preface for the groundbreaking NRDC report, Game Changer: How the Sports Industry is Saving the Environment, released today.

“Major League Baseball pledges to continue to devote its time, energy, influence and resources toward making lasting contributions to our fans, their communities and our society as a whole,” continues Commissioner Selig. “It is my great hope that the work of Major League Baseball and its Clubs can stand as an example and inspire others to join in this vital effort.”

Professional sports leagues, teams and venues across North America have already joined Major League Baseball to champion environmental protection, thanks to the NRDC Sports Greening Project. In fact, all Commissioners of professional sports leagues in the United States have made commitments to environmental stewardship and are actively encouraging the teams in their leagues to incorporate sustainable measures into their operations and fan outreach.

The NRDC Game Changer report chronicles the greening successes of the professional leagues and teams, from advanced recycling and composting programs to energy efficiency initiatives and onsite renewable projects. The 20 detailed case studies in the report offer guidance on how to green sports operations of all kinds. They also confirm that going green is smart business, enabling teams and venues to cut operating costs, strengthen corporate branding, attract sponsors and enhance the fan experience, while providing many environmental benefits.

The professional sports greening success stories featured in this report provide valuable lessons for organizations of all types. Though universities, in particular, should take note: sports greening is a triple win, benefiting the bottom line, the community and the planet. After all, collegiate athletics greening is arguably the next frontier for the sports greening movement.

Many college athletics departments nationwide—from the University of Washington and the University of Colorado at Boulder to the Ivy League—have already undertaken impressive environmental initiatives, including recycling challenges, LEED-certification for thier athletics facilities, and onsite solar installations. However, college athletics departments are just beginning to tap into the enormous potential to save money and strengthen their brand, while engaging their huge communities of athletes and sports fans on issues of environmental stewardship.

Ideally, the practical examples, business success stories and expert recommendations included in this report will inspire many more collegiate sports programs, and the businesses that service them, to follow the good example of our nation’s leading professional sports organizations. This library of better practices in professional sports greening is the ultimate guide for collegiate athletic departments interested in enhancing their operations, with the help of campus sustainability departments, faculty and students.

Choose a case study from your region to help inform your green upgrades. Each of the professional team and venue case studies in Game Changer includes four sections that help explain the sports greening process: (1) Why go green: what motivated teams and venues to start greening? (2) Where to start: how did teams and venues begin, who was involved, and which greening initiatives were investigated first? (3) Challenges overcome and ongoing: challenges teams and venues faced, tactics they used to meet these challenges, and hurdles they still face; and (4) Lessons from the field: important lessons from team and venue experiences as they implemented their green initiatives.

The business case for greening, proven again and again in the report, is one of the most convincing and practical reasons to start operating more sustainably and efficiently. Professional and collegiate sports organizations across the continent are already reaping many financial benefits from their sports greening programs.

Game Changer provides many concrete professional sports examples for the business case of greening to help stimulate broader interest in this work.

Greening provides direct financial savings: MLB’s Seattle Mariners saved approximately $1.5 million in utility costs (electricity, natural gas, water and sewer service) from 2006 to 2011 by reducing natural gas use by 60 percent, electricity use by 30 percent and water use by 25 percent. The report also features many other teams that have saved over $1 million thanks to greening their operations.These include direct cost savings, new sponsorship opportunities, additional appeal for donors, enhanced fan/student experience and stronger community ties.
Greening attracts sponsors: The NBA’s Miami HEAT saved $1.6 million in a single year due to its greening efforts and also attracted about $1 million in new corporate sponsors that aligned with their greening efforts.

Greening enhances the fan experience: The Philadelphia Eagles’ efforts to post recycling signs around their venue and provide recycling bags for NFL tailgaters resonated so much with the community that fans roll up their sleeves to help hand out and fill up the recycling bags, which are later picked up by Eagles staff.

Greening strengthens community ties: Aside from the operational benefits of going green, MLB’s St. Louis Cardinals have received only positive feedback for the team's greening initiatives, including thousands of favorable media articles, local community achievement awards and immense fan applause, proving these efforts are worthwhile beyond the business case by representing the core values of the surrounding community. You will also learn in this report about the largest public recycling event in the history of New York City, sponsored by Major League Baseball.

Greening builds local economic growth: The Cleveland Indians’ investment in onsite renewable energy not only directly benefits the environment but also contributes to local clean-tech jobs and helps to boost the local economy by stimulating the state’s clean-tech manufacturing industry.

Greening provides competitive advantage to attract tenants and entertainment clients: The NBA’s AmericanAirlines Arena has significantly improved brand image and provided a point of market differentiation by being environmentally conscious, which has attracted new clientele and corporate partners. For this venue, going green has provided a platform to attract entertainers who want to play in green venues.

Ideally, existing collegiate athletics greening leaders will be inspired to implement one or more of the great variety of impressive environmental initiatives described in this report. For athletics departments new to sustainability, Game Changer is the perfect introduction to the sports greening movement. Hopefully it will convince you of the huge value greening will bring to your staff, students, athletes, alumni, donors and institution as a whole.

Download NRDC’s full report, Game Changer: How Sports is Saving the Environment, at www.nrdc.org/game-changer. Read more about the significance of this report in Allen Hershkowitz’s latest blog.

For more information about the NRDC Sports Greening Project go to www.nrdc.org/sports and check out NRDC’s online sports greening guide, the NRDC Greening Advisor at www.greensports.org.

Photo Credits: Microgrid Solar

St. Louis Cardinals Working Towards a "Triple Crown" For Resource Efficiency

2012-05-30T13:39:29Z

Alice Henly, Research Fellow, New York

The 2011 World Champion St. Louis Cardinals are accustomed to winning. With a total of 11 World Series titles under their belt—second only to the Yankees—it’s no surprise that they set the bar high for all aspects of their game, even off the field.

In fact, with the help of NRDC’s Sports Greening Project, after several years of work on resource efficiency in the areas of energy, water and waste, this year the Cardinals are proud to announce huge savings across the board.

With a 30% recycling rate, 20% reduction in overall energy use (and base power demand) and 10% cut in water use across all operations; the Cardinals are putting up some impressive numbers—and you might say they’ve earned a “Triple Crown” for efficiency and environmental stewardship amongst clubs in the Central division.

In addition, the team recently unveiled a new 110-panel solar array atop a ticket building and concession area at one major entrance to the ballpark. The array will produce over 30,000 kWh of energy annually, enough to power the stadium scoreboards, or all of the ballpark’s retail stores, or cook about 4 million hot dogs!

One key to the Cardinals’ energy successes to date is that they commissioned an “investment-grade” energy audit in 2011 to identify potential energy efficiency measures for the ballpark. They found close to 200 cost-effective energy improvements, despite the fact that Busch Stadium was just built in 2006.

The Cardinals’ operations team and Microgrid Energy, Busch Stadium’s energy manager, have been working hard to make the ballpark a High-Performance Building. Based on the many energy saving opportunities they identified in their audit, they devised and are systematically implementing a comprehensive energy efficiency strategy, including no or low cost controls systems optimization and potential capital upgrades.

The team is a third of the way through executing their list of energy-efficient measures, with plans to complete them all. Here are some of the highlights:

LED lighting upgrades -- The Cardinals have replaced over 1,000 traditional spot- and flood- lights with LED lamps to cut lighting power demand in several areas around the ballpark by 90 percent.
Electrical substation ventilation -- The team implemented a ventilation control scheme in electrical rooms to eliminate the year-round use of the equivalent of a hefty 100-ton air conditioner.
HVAC efficiency -- The Cardinals installed smaller, dedicated cooling systems for the scoreboard control room and video coaching room. These rooms were previously cooled by very large HVAC units better suited for larger areas during peak times. The larger units are now only used during game times.
Steam plant upgrade – As a result of the energy team changing the operation and controls on pumps and the installation of a new heat exchanger, the steam plant is now able to recover heat from waste condensate (from the system that brings hot water to the showers and HVAC systems). This reduces the amount of heat they need to generate for other applications, and eliminates the need for pumping 5 million gallons of cooling water.

All told, the Cardinals have invested several hundred thousand dollars and are saving that much each year. The return on investment for most of their initiatives is typically less than a year, allowing the team to use the savings to improve their operations and the bottom line in other ways. The Cardinals’ triple-bottom-line approach to operating their stadium is embodied in their ongoing “4 a Greener Game” program that seeks to advance public health, environmental stewardship and education, and financial return.

Since its inception in 2008, the Cardinals’ “4 a Greener Game” program has diverted over 1,836 tons of discarded material to recycling and over 575 tons of yard waste away from the stadium trash disposal and local landfills to composting. The program's success is due to the 550 conveniently-placed recycling bins around the ballpark, volunteers who collect recyclables during games and the maintenance staff who separate out additional recyclables post-game.

The Cardinals have been collaborating with NRDC’s Sports Greening Project over the past four years to develop their impressive “4 a Greener Game” program. This collaboration is part of NRDC’s successful work enhancing the environmental performance of professional sports throughout North America.

By using technical expertise and sharing information about better industry practices, NRDC helps to make stadium and arena operations more sustainable. NRDC focuses on reducing energy and water use, promoting recycling and other environmental initiatives, and educating fans at the same time. The Cardinals are a great example.

Most recently, NRDC had the privilege of teaming up with the Cardinals to host a tour and discussion of the improvements they’ve made to their energy systems at Busch Stadium. About 25 energy leaders from Missouri – including representatives from the local electric utility, state energy regulators, environmental advocates and the energy management team at Microgrid Energy had the unique opportunity to hear a first-hand account of the energy efficiency work implemented at Busch Stadium.

Photo Credits: Microgrid Solar

Inaugural Ivy League Women's Rowing Championship Goes Green

2012-05-14T15:36:02Z

Alice Henly, Research Fellow, New York

Yesterday was a historic day for the Ivy League, in more ways than one.

The League launched the inaugural Ivy League Women's Rowing Championship with a very successful regatta full of intense racing. The hard-fought competition peaked with a breathtaking Varsity eight upset as No. 5 seed Radcliffe took the Ivy title.

The Women's Rowing Championship also marked the Ivy League's latest accomplishment as the first collegiate athletics conference to make a landmark commitment to environmental stewardship by teaming up with the Natural Resources Defense Council on sports greening. With NRDC's help the League integrated ecologically-intelligent practices--from using recycled paper to collecting recyclables--into the planning and production of the championship regatta.

IvyLeagueSports.com Interview: "Alice Henly of the NRDC talks about the partnership with the Ivy League to green its championship events, beginning with the inaugural Ivy League Women's Rowing Championship."

The Ivy League's choice of its Women's Rowing Championship as the kickoff for the conference's new green commitment was met with great enthusiasm by parents and supporters yesterday. Attendees eagerly accepted recycling bags and signs distributed for collecting recyclables in all spectator tents along the racecourse. By the end of the regatta the bags were brimming with plastic, aluminum and glass containers throughout the spectator area.

The Dartmouth spectator tent made a very impressive standout commitment to environmental stewardship by not only bringing their own recycling bins and signs (with slogans like "Go Big Green, Be Green!!"), but also by setting up a compost bin for food scraps (photo above right).

To cut back on plastic bottle use one dedicated Dartmouth parent also brought a large thermos of water for refilling water bottles. She explained that it was a simple but very important way to reduce waste, not to mention save money, and that she’s been doing it for all races throughout the season. She said that she appreciated that the Ivy League provided parents with similar helpful green ideas ahead of the event.

Many parents and spectators at the regatta were pleased that Ivy League Athletics has made a commitment to reduce their environmental impacts and lead the way on greening collegiate sports.

In fact, at least 10 parents asked for green tips to bring back to their local high schools to develop similar green athletics programs. The Ivy League office staff advised that the EPA-award winning NRDC Greening Advisor, the most comprehensive sports greening resource used by all professional leagues, is a great place to start.

Ivy League Teams Up With NRDC to Green Its Championship Events

2012-05-11T18:16:06Z

Alice Henly, Research Fellow, New York

Over the past few years sports greening has taken the U.S. by storm. All major professional leagues have joined forces with NRDC to make commitments to environmental stewardship, and have already achieved impressive environmental accomplishments to boot.

But this summer the Ivy League is making a landmark greening commitment as the first collegiate athletics conference to team up with NRDC, the principal environmental advisor to all U.S. professional sports leagues, in the name of environmental protection.

The League is working with the NRDC to reduce the environmental impacts of its championship events and provide greening resources to all Ivy athletic departments, with the goal of minimizing the environmental footprint of their operations and supply chains.

To kick off this partnership and the greening of all its championships, the Ivy League integrated ecologically intelligent practices into the planning and production of the inaugural Ivy League Women’s Rowing Championship, taking place on Sunday, May 13th at Cooper River Park in Pennsauken, N.J.

The paper products and other supplies bought and services procured for the championship regatta were selected with sensitivity toward reducing the threats we face from species extinction, deforestation, climate change, toxic waste, and hazardous chemicals in our water and food.

Recycling, using products made with recycled materials and reducing the use of disposable products protects habitat, and saves energy, water, and resources such as forests, fossil fuels, and metals. Incorporating these green steps in to a large championship event helps reduce the harmful impacts associated with the extraction and processing of these resources, including oil spills, biodiversity loss, and water pollution.

Some of the green initiatives incorporated into the Ivy League Women’s Rowing Championship regatta include:

All event programs printed on 50 percent postconsumer recycled paper. (The Ivy League has established this as the new standard of postconsumer recycled content for all future Ivy League Championship event programs.)
Recycling bins for plastic, aluminum, glass and paper placed throughout the racecourse venue with signs (like the example included below).

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Outreach to all parent coordinators, team captains and coaches ahead of the event to engage them in environmental protection by encouraging them to use environmentally-friendly travel, reusable products when catering for the event, and to recycle throughout the championship, among other green activities.
Carpooling to the event by all Ivy League and event staff.
A Green Team made up of student and community volunteers collecting recyclables and educating fans about environmental protection throughout the event.
Wallet guide giveaways with green tips and other environmental education materials featured in the merchandise and race result areas.

For more information on this initiative and how you can be involved, please visit ivyleaguesports.com or nrdc.org/sports.

Major League Soccer Unveils Solar Panels on LA School

2012-04-23T13:39:10Z

Alice Henly, Research Fellow, New York

Remember how Major League Soccer (MLS) made a commitment to install solar panels at a local school in the city of the MLS Cup champion? And then the LA Galaxy won.

Well, today MLS W.O.R.K.S., the Major League Soccer's community outreach initiative, is delivering on their promise by unveiling a 2.1 kW solar array at KIPP Los Angeles College Preparatory School, located in East LA. The new panels are anticipated to produce 3,034 kWh of clean energy per year.

Broadcasting their commitment to educating the next generation of energy users, MLS W.O.R.K.S. and Continental Tire combined efforts with Bonneville Environmental Foundation (BEF) and the NRDC to participate in BEF’s Solar 4R Schools project. Solar 4R Schools provides schools nationwide with hands-on teaching tools including science kits, lesson plans and photovoltaic solar arrays to help students learn about the importance of solar, wind and other renewable energy technologies.

Starting at 2.30pm this afternoon, players from the LA Galaxy and about 35 students and teachers from KIPP Los Angeles College Preparatory School will be participating in the launch of the solar array and education program for the school.

To kickoff the renewable energy education program, the students will build miniature solar cars with small solar modules that are powered by the sun. The event will culminate in a solar car derby, with students and Galaxy players racing the solar cars side-by-side.

The event also includes a beautification projects, which took place over the weekend in commemoration of Earth Day 2012.

Though this is the first MLS Solar 4R Schools project, BEF has installed photovoltaic systems on 193 schools and community centers across the country. These solar systems have generated over 6 million KWh to date. They have saved over 8.5 million pounds of CO2 from entering the atmosphere by replacing fossil fuel-sourced electricity with clean renewable solar sources.

The total installed capacity of the entire Solar 4R Schools network is about 2.4 Megawatts. Over the last year, BEF’s network of solar systems together generated enough energy to power more than 175 American homes.

And this network of solar systems will keep growing as MLS and Continental Tire have already committed to build another $50,000 solar array and education program at a local school for the MLS team with the greenest fans.

In fact, MLS W.O.R.K.S. is already encouraging fans to visit the Greener Goals website to prove their “greenness” by sharing stories of how they incorporate green efforts into their everyday lives.

The MLS market with the greenest MLS fans will win a solar panel installation for a deserving school in their city for Earth Day 2013. One fan will also win the grand prize of a trip to the 2012 AT&T MLS All-Star Game and a set of Continental Tire EcoPlus technology tires.

The sweepstakes will continue until June 29 and the MLS city to be awarded the next Solar 4R Schools solar array will be announced during the 2012 AT&T MLS All-Star Game.

So go prove your greenness, earn solar panels for a school near you and maybe you’ll also win free tickets for the 2012 AT&T MLS All-Star Game.