NICOLE CHIN | layout & design editor
photo courtesy | ASSOCIATED PRESS
The University of Phoenix Stadium is eco-friendly. The Glendale, Ariz. venue hosted Super Bowl XLII last Sunday.


Take me out to the environment. Take me out with the carbon. Buy me some green trees and fresh water. I care if I never get back. ‘Cause it root, root, root for the organic, if they don’t win it’s a shame. For it’s one bad light bulb, two plastic bags, and three strikes we’re out of the environment.

Green isn’t the color of the Packers or the Jets or the Celtics anymore. Many professional teams are going green faster than it takes to replace a light bulb—no one wants to be the left in the dark.

SUPER BOWL
Super Bowl XLII was powered completely with renewable energy, using solar, wind and geo-thermal energy. Trees were planted in areas originally burned by fires to offset the GHG emissions from the game. Last year, 3,000 trees were planted at Super Bowl XLI in Florida.

DETROIT LIONS
The Detroit Lions outfitted their already environmentally friendly stadium to be even more carbon neutral during last years Thanksgiving game. They were the first NFL stadium to hold a 100 percent carbon neutral game on November 22, 2007. It was all made possible when the Lions partnered with Carbon Credit Environmental Services of Detroit, who planted 150,000 trees as a carbon sink. The Lions also used fewer cars at the game and reduced their electrical use. They offset 1,866,000 pounds of CO2 emissions, removing emissions from 28,260 cars, one 747 jet, 255,675 KWh of electricity, and 933/tons of GHG. However, fans did not notice the change because the only obvious difference was the biodegradable containers in which the food was served.

Ford Field’s ground is laced with “FieldTurf,” which is more than 25,000 recycled tires and silica sand combined into three-inch-deep carpet. The stadium, whose south wing is 750,000 square feet of the old J.L. Hudson department store warehouse, is built on 20 million pounds of recycled steel in the ceiling and 10 million pounds in the concrete frame. Recycled glass was used in the terrazzo flooring for the club and suite levels. The suites and elevator foyers were made with bamboo and portions of the parking lot used recycled rubber. Even the heating and cooling systems boast energy efficient capabilities.

MICHAEL JORDAN
The Air Jordan XX3, because of its link to Michael Jordan’s jersey number, is a benchmark in the Air Jordan basketball shoe line. It is the first basketball shoe designed Nike Considered Ethos, created to reduce waste. It has an outsole made of environmentally preferred rubber that reduces toxics and its efficient pattern and design minimizes waste and materials used. It is the first performance shoe to be attached without the use of solvent-based cements. It is also created using Nike Grind, rubber from the outsole, foam from the midsole and fabric from the uppersole of any used and old worn-out athletic shoe.

PHILADELPHIA EAGLES
The Philadelphia Eagles launched a Go Green campaign in 2003. Since then, they have provided electricity to 1,300 for one year and saved 2,300 trees. They have managed to eliminate the emissions of almost 1,800 automobiles and the trash stream of over 550 Americans.

NEW JERSEY NETS
In November 2007, the Nets announced a plan to become the first NBA team to be carbon neutral. They hope to improve energy efficiency, recycling rates, water efficiency, indoor environmental quality, and establishing green procurement policies they use on a regular basis. They are hosting six “Green Nights” at the Izod Center, focusing on several of those initiatives and what fans can do to help. The first was on Nov. 16 against the Orlando Magic. Throughout the game, they gave environmental tips on waste reduction.

MLB NATIONAL LEAGUE WEST
Both the San Francisco Giants and the Colorado Rockies have installed solar panels into their ballparks. The Giants installed 590 solar panels. The Rockies installed a 9.89 kilowatt solar array that will produce 14,000 kilowatt hours of energy.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS
Their new stadium cost $611 million to “go green” and seats 41,222 in an “innovative design of steel, glass and pre-cast concrete” according to the Nationals’ official website. The Nationals Park will strive to become the first major stadium in the US to be certified by the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System It is set to open March 30, 2008.

WINTER X GAMES VII
Winter X Games VII was from Jan. 29 to Feb. 2 in Aspen/Snowmass, Colo. and utilized a program called X Games Environmentality, With this program, X Games strives to get the fans involved in the environmental conservation process. Spectators were rewarded for using recycling bins and can redeem tokens for prizes at the X Fest village. Cups, plates, napkins and plastic ware are made from biodegradable materials (the plastic is made from corn and a sugarcane byproduct called Bagasse). The superpipe was built out of dirt instead of snow, saving four million galloons of water and $15,000 in energy costs annually. Leftover food was separated and turned into compost and all motor vehicles run on biodiesel fuels made from ethanol, fats and oils.

SURFRIDERS
A non-profit grassroot organization dedicated to protecting the ocean and beaches from pollution and destruction through “activism, research and education.” It was founded in Malibu in 1984 and now has more than 50,000 members. It is made up of surfers, swimmers, divers, bodyboarders, kayakers and beach enthusiasts, and 80 chapters worldwide, including Australia, Japan, France and Brazil. In 1991, they won the second largest Clean Water Act suit in American history against two pulp mills charged with over 40,000 violations.

WILD AID
It is a non-profit organization striving to conserve wildlife and protect endangered species. Their prime headquarters is in San Francisco, but they are also represented in China, India, Galapagos, London and Canada. They have successfully protected the whale shark and the basking shark and secured shark finning bans in the U.S., Europe, Costa Rica and Ecuador. Over 80 celebrities and athletes support them, including Carmelo Anthony and Yao Ming.

KODAK GALLERY PRO CYCLING TEAM
The 12-rider Kodak Gallery Pro Cycling team became the first professional sports team in the US to offset 100 percent of their carbon emissions with clean, renewable wind power. They partnered with Renewable Choice Energy of Boulder, Colo. Their purchase of wind energy is equivalent to not driving 670,000 miles, planting 8,5000 trees, or preventing 345,000 pounds of coal to burn.

PLAY IT COOL
The campaign started in December 2006 by skier Thomas Grandi and his wife, Olympic silver medalist Sara Renner in partnership with the David Suzuki Foundation. The goal of Play It Cool was to help high-profile athletes make changes in their personal lives to help prevent global warming.

This calls many of the athletes, including 350 NHL members, to seek carbon neutrality in their daily activities and reducing emissions as much as possible. In the near future, winter sports are especially endangered due to global warming as snow falls continues to decrease each year.

Other notable organizations Reef Check aided by Kelly Slater and Bob Burnquist’s Action Sports Environmental Coalition. In addition, plans are being worked out to run all IndyCars at 100 percent ethanol, a fuel made from corn and not petroleum and the World Cup in 2006 became carbon neutral with hydroelectric power from Sweden.