Cowboys Stadium One of Top 10 Green Stadiums

Everyone was talking about Super Bowl 45 yesterday: the national anthem fiasco, the best and worst adverts and the celebrity shenanigans. As a green blog we’d like to add another point to the the Super Bowl buzz: how green stadiums across the country are. The Cowboys Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys, appears at number five for some green initiatives it intends to implement. How do other stadiums across the country fare in terms of green credentials? Solar company SunRun helped us with the task of finding out about that.

1. Qwest Field, Home of the Seattle Seahawks and Seattle Mariners – The stadium has installed solar panels to help the building offset double-digit percentage increases in electric rates.

2. Lincoln Financial Field, Home of The Philadelphia Eagles – In 2008, the Eagles produced 97 percent of their energy through renewable sources. The team also calculates their travel emissions and plants trees to offset their carbon footprint.

3. STAPLES Center, Home of the LA Lakers – Was awarded ISO 14001 Certification in 2010 for the third-party review of its Environmental Management System (EMS), making it the first U.S. arena to receive the respected accreditation.

4. Nationals Stadium, home of The Washington Nationals –The stadium is building LEED certification and has an in-house recycling center.

5. Cowboys Stadium, Home of the Dallas Cowboys – The $650 million stadium is aiming to reduce solid waste by 25%, energy use by 20% and water consumption by 1 million gallons annually.

6. Qualcomm Stadium, Home of the San Diego Chargers – The stadium boasts 350 ninety-four gallon recycling bins in the tailgating area.

7. Gillette Stadium, Home of the New England Patriots – Recycling bags are handed out at the parking lot and solar-powered compactors collect plastic bottles and cans around the stadium.

8. Meadowlands Stadium, Shared by the New York Giants and Jets – The seats are made from recycled plastic and the Environmental Protection Agency consulted on the construction of the stadium.

9. Progressive Field, Home of The Cleveland Indians – The stadium uses recycled paper and cornstarch cups in their concession stands.

10. The Future Home of the San Francisco 49ers – Still in its planning stages, the new stadium is slated to open in 2014 and will have solar panels and a green roof, recycled water, and a plan that would have almost a fourth of all fans arriving via public transport.

Article by Antonio Pasolini, a Brazilian writer and video art curator based in London, UK. He holds a BA in journalism and an MA in film and television.