Take Me Out to a Greener Ball Game
The recent news that the U.S. Green Building Council awarded silver-level LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification to Target Field, the new home of the Minnesota Twins, has me thinking: If the MLB (Major League Baseball) is trying to make the game greener than the field it is played on, then what can baseball fans do to help?
- Take public transportation to the game. According to Slate, transportation of fans to and from sporting events is usually the largest energy expenditure related to those events. If you must drive, then carpool to the game.
- Bring your own water. Check out the security procedures of the ballpark you are going to determine ahead of time whether you will be allowed to bring in a refillable water bottle. Some stadiums (such as the new Yankee Stadium) only allow “clear, factory-sealed plastic water bottles 1 liter in size or smaller.” Disposable plastic bottles may not be the most environmentally friendly way to drink water, but at least by bringing your own bottle you will not have your cap confiscated (which it what usually happens when you buy a bottle at a concessions stand) and will be able to reuse the bottle before disposing of it in a recycling bin.
- Recycle your beer bottles and programs either in the stadium, in the parking lot, or once you get home.
- Make greener choices. If the stadium offers biodegradable or compostable plastic cups, napkins, and other food-related waste, then opt for them over the more harmful alternatives.
- Support your team in organic cotton. Several environmentally-friendly and stylish fan clothing options have popped up lately and may be found in stadium stores or in the MLB online shop.
For information about the MLB Team Greening Program, check out this link.
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Comments
Thanks Alexandra, great post!
I actually have gotten to go to a game here and it is phenomenal! They water the field with rainwater (huge under ground cisterns) and have parking for 700-800 bicycles as well. Recycling bins are next to every trash bin, and they reused a ton of old materials including old stadium seats from the original Met stadium. These past few games have required so much public transit that they had to double the buses along the light rail line.
Excellent news for the eco-community!
This is interesting. I have not heard about this before. At least we are getting larger businesses getting into the green effort. Could you imagine the kind of recyclable trash that goes through the stadiums every game?
Yes, i also first time heard about this. But it’s interesting idea.