Life’s a Pitch: The 10 Greenest Sports Stadiums

Original Source: http://lifestyle.msn.com
Author: Grist
Original Publication Date: May 2009

Think the only thing green about pro sports is the turf? Think again. As the first crack of the bat rings through the spring air, we take a look at sports venues in North America that are scoring big on the eco-field (now if only the teams could do something about all that travel).

1. New York Mets, Citi Field

The Mets’ brand spankin’ new ballpark is opening this spring to great green acclaim. Although green efforts at the new Yankee stadium seem limited to trash talk, fans of the Mets and the planet can be excited about Citi Field’s eco-cred: built of 95 percent recycled steel, it features energy-efficient field lighting, waterless urinals and a green roof. Even its 42,000 seats are a (coincidental) green hue. The club is encouraging employees to bike to work, and hopes that fans will take public transportation to the games — if they come at all.

2. Washington Nationals Stadium

The Mets get this year’s moment in the centerfield spotlight, but last spring’s big debut happened farther south. The Nationals tacked on $2 million to a nearly $700 million price tag in order to add features that earned this stadium a LEED rating from the U.S. Green Building Council — the first in the country to do so. From an in-house recycling center to a wastewater system designed to filter out peanut shells and hot-dog bits, the D.C. team thought of everything — except for screening out objectionable anti-green sponsors. Ah well, you can’t win ‘em all.

3. Philadelphia Eagles, NovaCare Complex

It seems only fitting that a stadium that sounds like a medical facility is proving to be a shot in the arm for greening operations everywhere. The Eagles launched an organization-wide program called Go Green in 2003, and today the team powers its facilities with clean energy, uses corn-plastic dishes and utensils and encourages fans to offset their game-day travel emissions. Offshoot projects include Eagles Forest in nearby Neshaminy State Park and a calendar of eco-babes — printed on recycled paper, of course.

4. Minnesota Twins, Target Field

Now under construction, this Minneapolis landmark is scheduled to open in 2010. Like the Nationals, the Twins are committed to achieving a LEED rating, and coughing up $2.5 million extra to do so. Green features include such basics as low-VOC carpets and paints, and the club is using local building materials. But more important may be the site itself: Unlike the Mets stadium stuck out in Flushing, N.Y., Target Field sits right in downtown Minneapolis. Reinventing a plot in the city’s warehouse district, the Twins are creating an attraction that will be walkable, bikeable, trainable and busable for thousands of local fans.

5. Orlando Magic, Orlando Events Center

In another example of a smart location, the Magic is building a multi-purpose events center in a downtown location — and keeping local needs top of mind. The team has hired local companies, will use native landscaping and even considered neighborhood identity in the stadium’s design. It’s also incorporating water and energy efficiency and other sustainable elements. When the facility opens in 2010, it will be “one of the greenest sports arenas in the country,” according to press materials. Meanwhile, the Magic has kicked off a company-wide greening initiative, including a recycling effort at its current home, Amway Arena.

6. Vancouver Olympics

The push to make each successive Olympics greener than the last has practically become a medal-worthy event itself, and Vancouver is going for the gold. Greened-up venues for the 2010 games include a speed-skating track that features a roof made of wood salvaged from a pine-beetle infestation, a LEED gold-certified curling arena that will be converted into a community center after the games are over and a hockey rink that captures and reuses the energy needed to make its ice.

7. Dallas Cowboys Stadium

This here’s a good news/bad news situation. The good news is that the powers-that-be behind the Cowboys’ new $1 billion stadium have set their sights on sustainability, from a reflective roof and permeable pavement to game-day recycling, and are registering with the EPA to monitor long-term performance. That bad news is that they’ve been involved in a major PR wreck — not to mention several lawsuits — over the use of eminent domain to secure land for the facility. Oh, and the stadium isn’t accessible by public transportation. Er … points for trying?

8. Phoenix Suns, US Airways Center

Staying true to their name, the Suns announced last fall that they’d be adding more than 1,100 solar panels to their facility, generating enough energy to power the equivalent of 26 home games a year. And that’s not the team’s only foray into green: when they hosted this year’s NBA All-Star Game, they asked players to create green PSAs, provided sustainable T-shirts for volunteers and pushed recycling. Combine that with the city’s new sustainability plan, and the eco-cred of the Suns is surely rising.

9. San Antonio Spurs, AT&T Center

It’s not the newest kid on the block, but that makes this arena’s greening efforts all the more impressive. The team recently upgraded its water system with the help of municipal funds, installing efficient fixtures and beginning to use recycled water in its cooling towers. Last year, team owners announced that they were buying wind power to cover 100 percent of their energy usage. And they’re pushing forward on other efforts, including recycling. Said Chairman and CEO Peter Holt, “We really want to be a model for arenas across the country regarding sensitivity to the environment.”

10. Denver Nuggets, Pepsi Center

Unveiling an initiative called Play Clean last year, arena officials highlighted an impressive array of eco-steps at the Pepsi Center, which is home to three other teams, including the NHL’s Colorado Avalanche. They’re offsetting energy use, installing solar panels, designating hybrid-only parking spaces and a no-idling zone, promoting recycling and upgrading water fixtures. “Taking care of the environment is a new adventure in our country,” said Denver Nuggets head coach George Karl. “It will bring everybody together.”

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