America’s favorite pastime is watching sports. Nearly every
day of the year, tens of millions of us spend a few hours watching our favorite
teams and athletes do what they do best either on huge, flat screen TVs at home
or live, in facilities large enough to make each of us feel like an ant. I am
one of these people who lap up and get lost in every bit of these crazy,
energy-sucking shows. While there has been a lot of negative news surrounding some of the national sports leagues lately,
I want to talk about this industry and its concentration on going green in a short
series. I know it sounds a bit ironic, but bear with me; it's actually an uplifting and inspiring tale.
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| Remember these days? Photo source: ign.com |
Bright lights, jumbotrons, packed stadiums. This industry
has changed drastically from the small-scale games played in fields and streets
and does not sound (or look, if you’ve ever been to a major sporting event)
energy efficient in the least. On the surface, it seems like an energy black
hole and if I were unaware of everything the industry has been doing over the
past few years to increase their energy conservation, I might feel like a
hypocrite, supporting the industry so whole-heartedly while I simultaneously
sit here rallying for energy efficiency and renewable energy programs every
day. But I know some secrets. May I let you in on them?
The NRDC caught on to this new trend in sports to go green
and put together a report
in September 2012 outlining some of the industry’s greatest efficiency achievements.
I love the NBA like it’s my job, so I’ll briefly mention some of its activity
first. The Miami HEAT and the Atlanta Hawks were the first two NBA
organizations to have LEED certified arenas; the HEAT is on track to further
their energy efficiency goals and be re-certified in 2014. The Staples Center in Los Angeles, which
hosts hundreds of events attracting millions of fans each year (and is home to
my beloved Lakers), received an ISO
14001 certification (for environmental management standards) in 2010, the first
arena in the US to do so. The NBA started greening their All-Star games in 2008
with recycling and composting programs, organic cotton apparel for the athletes
and basketballs made of recycled materials. The Association also sponsors Green
Week each year and launched an awesome website
to create awareness and promote their Green Week community projects (beach
cleanups, home refurbishments). I knew there were reasons for my love of the
NBA beyond my obsession with the game!
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| Photo source: CONCRETE jungle |
This is only a taste of what is happening in this unexpected
merger of sports and energy responsibility. The report
presents case studies of several other teams and venues from all major sports
leagues.