We can’t do it alone. And we don’t really want to.
We partner with the pros all of the time. We ask energy experts to help us with our energy assessments. We ask heating and cooling experts to help us with our Home Energy Audits. And this week, we’re partnering with a pro football team to get the word out about conservation and environmental impact.
What do football players know about efficiency? Plenty.
The Vikings have purchased renewable energy through Xcel Energy’s Windsource Program to offset 100 percent of the carbon emissions used to power Mall of America Field for all of its home dates this season.
The Vikings also created “Planet Purple” in conjunction with the NFL’s Green Team with the mission of developing sustainable business practices and utilizing renewable energy in an effort to lessen the team’s impact on the environment. For three years in a row, the Minnesota Vikings have partnered with Xcel Energy for Planet Purple week. It includes a series of community events and activities like tree plantings, a free Home Energy Squad visit to a contest winner and a coat drive to benefit United Way, which also highlights rebate programs and ways to save energy and money on heating bills.
And they’re not the only NFL team getting into the energy game.
* Lincoln Financial Field, home to the Philadelphia Eagles, is the leading clean energy stadium. They recently installed 2,500 solar panels and 80 twenty-foot high wind turbines to reduce their carbon footprint, making them the first NFL team to run completely on sustainable energy.
* The Denver Broncos purchased renewable energy (also through our Windsource Program) to offset 100% of the electricity used to power all home games for the 2010-11 season.
* The Green Bay Packers use Wisconsin Public Service’s NatureWise renewable energy program to power game days.
* The New England Patriots recently purchased and installed 2,800 Evergreen Solar PV panels for Gillette Stadium. Over the course of a year, the panels will generate approximately 600,000 kilowatt-hours of renewable energy.
* The Arizona Cardinals used SRP’s EarthWise Energy program to provide a total of 1,135,000 kilowatt-hours of renewable energy for the Cardinals’ eight regular season home games and two pre-season home games in 2010.
* During the construction of their new stadium, the Detroit Lions reused 300,000 pounds of recycled rubber tires, 20 million pounds of recycled steel in the ceiling and, 10 million pounds in the concrete frame.
* There are more examples – but you get the point.
They’re leading by example to make people think twice about our resources, how we use them and ways to conserve. It’s a big job. And we’ll take all the help we can get.
Article by Erin Mathe, appearing courtesy Xcel Energy Blog.
