Saturday, February 2, 2008
Super Bowl XLII Goes Green
In the spirit of the big game tomorrow, I thought I would pass on some interesting information I heard while listening to sports radio yesterday. Apparently Super Bowl XLII is going green by sourcing the University of Phoenix Stadium and Fox News’ energy requirements from the Arizona Salt River Project (SRP). The SRP will be providing energy to the stadium and Fox News using only renewable energy – wind, solar and geothermal. Although this is the first time that a Super Bowl’s energy requirements will be 100% sourced from renewable energy, this isn’t the first time that a green approach has been used. Last year the super bowl in Miami purchased certificates that offset the carbon emissions of the event: http://www.forbes.com/2007/01/19/super-bowl-green-sports-biz-cz_ad_0119green.html. Although these choices don’t have any sizable impact overall, I think they are important from a publicity standpoint. The more the general public is aware of energy problems and emissions issues that we face, the more likely the public is to put pressure on politicians to implement policy change. Policy change is likely one of the most important factors to drive energy usage and technology change here in the US.
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I read an article on CNN.com (http://www.cnn.com/2008/TECH/02/01/eco.supergreen.ap/index.html?iref=newssearch)
about the NFL Environmental Program and how it helped make this years Super Bowl the "greenest yet." This program stands to minimize the NFL's impact on the environment. This year they have focused on projects "...such as planting 10,000 new tress in Arizona [and] donating thousands of pounds of leftover food to soup kitchens and shelters..." Though the program might not be able to make up for the NFL's entire impact on the environment it has come a long way in the past fifteen years. Initially, recycling was the biggest focus. Now, the program utilizes a number of renewable energy sources, it addition to using carbon offsets to make up for the 571 tons of greenhouse gas created by air travel of both teams and the NFL staff.
I think it great to hear about a program like this. It is good to hear that these types of programs are starting to have such considerations for their impact on the environment.
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