A better way to play

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Martin Tull is the executive director of the Green Sports Alliance, a nonprofit organization working with sports teams and venues to enhance their environmental performance. Their upcoming Green Sports Alliance Summit will bring together facility managers, sports executives and environmental thought leaders to explore best practices and collaborate on new environmental initiatives.

Sports organizations are, at the heart of their identity, a deeply ingrained part of our communities. As we change, so do they.

The fact that a more environmentally and socially conscious generation is coming up in the world — and is asking to see those values reflected in their favorite team — is evidence of sport’s important cultural role. When teams act on these values and strive to make their venue and their communities a better place, it reinforces their role as community leaders.

But what makes sports teams and venues good messengers to promote sustainability? First, they are highly visible organizations. From the athlete to the team’s activities, they capture the public’s attention on a consistent basis. Second, sports venues are often among the largest public venues in a city. Big opportunities exist to make significant impacts by saving energy, lowering water consumption, increasing recycling and providing positive examples of environmental stewardship.

There are many sports teams and venues across North America integrating conservation and energy efficiency programs. That often prompts someone to ask us, “Who is doing it best?” To me, that’s the wrong question to ask. While friendly competition has proven to be a great driver for change (especially in the sports world), there are substantial differences in regional and organizational resources that impact an organization’s ability to enact change.

A better question is, “What teams are making great strides with the resources they have?” That recognizes that while it may be feasible for Northwest teams to save money composting food waste —due to the accessibility of great local partners like Cedar Grove Recycling — it may be much harder for another venue in a city with less green infrastructure to do the same.

It’s important to remember that each team and/or venue is on its own path. What works in Cleveland may not work in Atlanta. But despite the regional differences, we’re consistently seeing environmental initiatives come out of sports organizations across North America.

One of the most inspiring things we’ve seen lately is an increasing commitment from owners to take a leadership role in sustainability and make meaningful investments in these initiatives. Consider Paul Allen’s recent investment in a massive solar installation at CenturyLink Field (formerly Qwest Field), or the owners of the Eagles investing in solar, wind and co-generation on-site. This kind of direct support means organizations can take their sustainability programs further than ever before.

The environmental changes underway run deep — from uniforms made from recycled plastic bottles, to composting all food waste, harvesting rainwater, integrating renewables, implementing energy conservation measures and environmental education programs to get fans inspired.

A couple of projects I’d like to give a tip of my hat to:

• Teams and venues are starting to track their environmental programs and progress, with the dual intent of spurring their colleagues to keep up and establishing the best practices for doing so. The Major League Baseball Green Track program helps teams and venues establish baselines, set goals, track progress and generate a record of success. All of the teams in the MLB are now part of this innovative program.
• The National Hockey League recently partnered with the Portland-based Bonneville Environmental Foundation to offset all of the water use for the Stanley Cup. This is an excellent model for other teams and leagues to consider. Funds raised through the program are invested directly in stream restoration projects.

There are remarkable projects underway, happening in fits and starts across the leagues and across the country. Some of these are motivated by opportunities for cost savings, sometimes by the visionary leadership of a team owner or a commissioner like MLB’s Bud Sellig or NHL’s Gary Bettman. Sometimes, they happen because their community won’t accept anything less. When a team knows that their community will support them in their environmental programs, it makes them a lot easier to implement.

We have a long way to go when it comes to improving the way that we operate in this world — at the game, at work and in our homes.

To be fair to the moment in which we find ourselves, our modern society wasn’t really set up to minimize environmental impact. But the business case for saving energy and reducing waste is strong and the tools to make it happen get better ever day.

So with a long race to a better world, it’s nice to see some strong and fast runners on the track. No one ever thought we could run faster than a four-minute mile but, once Roger Bannister did, it raised the bar for everyone else.

Here’s a word of thanks to everyone who is raising the bar, giving us new tools and helping us all to learn how they did it.