May 11, 2010

Fields of Green

Take me out to the ball game
In a commuter bus or a train
Root, root, root for the Earth
And the ticket price won't be in vain.

Major League Green

Which sport is the greenest? Some might say golf, where players try to hit their ball on the green, but others may say major league baseball is taking the lead with their green initiatives and encouraging their fans to do the same.

• Several major league baseball teams across the U.S. are starting to bestow sustainable gifts upon their fans - including reusable shopping bags and water bottles - rather than passing out cheap logo merchandise that will soon end up in a landfill.
• The Washington Nationals' stadium contains low-flow toilets, recycled steel and high-efficiency lighting. The Seattle Mariners are now solely serving food from compostable plates and utensils. The Kansas City Royals are making efforts to collect recyclables in between innings. All of these actions will lower baseball's footprint on the environment.
• Most baseball stadiums have their own stop on the local city's bus route or subway map, making it easy to take public transportation, a much more eco-friendly (and much less stressful) way to catch a game. Who wants to try to find parking or wait to get out of the parking lot, pumping out carbon emissions and spending extra money? The Washington Nationals even offered discounted tickets to baseball fans who displayed their public-transportation fare cards on Earth Day.

If you don't already have a baseball cap or visor to shield the sun from your eyes at the game, consider the ones from ClothesMadeFromScrap.com, which are made of 100% post consumer recycled plastic bottles.

Many people have unused sports equipment littering their garages and attics. If your team needs bats, gloves and other gear, spread the word to neighbors and friends and check out Craigslist!