Greening the game: how sports venues in the US lead the way in sustainable practices
Source：The New York Times
From：Taiwan Trade Center, New York
Update Time：2023/12/22
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In the United States, more and more sports venues are rolling out efforts to combat climate change. Although waste and emissions generated by sports venues is a fraction of those produced by the mining, transportation or construction industries, stadium operators are seeing a tremendous opportunity to educate and inspire their visitors by adopting sustainable practices. The Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, a two-million-square-foot stadium that each year welcomes an average of three million visitors and produces more than four million pounds of waste, was an environmental trendsetter when it opened in 2017. Considered as one of the greenest stadiums in the U.S., the Mercedes-Benz Stadium is the first stadium in the country to win the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum certification from the United States Green Building Council. What did it take to win that designation? This article is going to explore some of the sports venues’ best practices to reduce energy use and waste.
LEED is a widely recognized green building certification program that assesses and promotes environmentally sustainable building practices. To receive the LEED certification, a building must meet stringent criteria across various categories, including sustainable site development, water efficiency, energy efficiency, materials selection, indoor environmental quality, and innovation in design. Buildings are awarded points based on their performance in these categories, and achieving a certain number of points qualifies a project for different levels of LEED certification. The Mercedes-Benz stadium has been rewarded with the LEED’s highest certification level thanks to its multiple sustainable initiatives. First, the stadium was built with locally sourced and recycled materials and includes a 20-foot-high cistern that holds up to 680,000 gallons of rainwater that is used to water the greenery and diminishes flooding around the building. Additionally, the stadium is trying to reduce as much waste as possible with the goal of diverting more than 90% of its waste from landfills. A 6,000-square-foot “Resource Recovery Room” was created for workers to sort compost and recyclables like cardboard and metals into compactors and balers. Mr. Bohenko, the sustainability coordinator at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, and his team are also encouraging vendors to eliminate nonrecyclable material in their packaging and placed compost and recyclables bins throughout the building. In January 2023, the 75,000-seat stadium was recognized as a zero-waste facility by Green Business Certification Inc., a first for a venue of its size. Although the cost of composting and recycling is expected to amount to $400,000 (or about 13 cents per visitor) this year, the stadium is confident that this expense will decrease as the staff (and fans) become more meticulous at collecting, sorting, and recycling.
Environmental awareness is gaining ground in the sports industry. Over 200 teams, leagues, and organizations worldwide have committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions through the United Nations Sports for Climate Action framework, which includes commitments to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by 2030. Other venues, such as the All England Club in London and the Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle (whose name refers to “The Climate Pledge”, a commitment created by Amazon and Global Optimism for companies to be net-zero carbon by 2040), are also making efforts to reduce waste. To mention just a few of their initiatives, drinks are now served in reusable cups and food in compostable trays, water-refilling stations have been added, discarded racket strings are repurposed into countertops for tables, and effective waste separation processes have been implemented.
While achieving these sustainability goals may sound challenging because of the difficulty of finding clean sources of energy, suitable recyclers, and eco-friendly suppliers, venue operators are optimistic. Stadiums and arenas are now exchanging their best practices to reduce energy use and waste through initiatives like the Green Operations & Advanced Leadership (GOAL) program that provides venues with a roadmap, tracking tools, resources, and access to operators, vendors, and sponsors focused on sustainability.
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/20/sports/stadiums-sustainability-climate-change.html