This new feature of the Sustainable Scribe will look at the variety of Green Initiatives of various MLB teams.  Next up, the New York Yankees.

As a Torontonian I am supposed to root for my home team, the Toronto Blue Jays and although I try my heart is in the Bronx.  The Pride in the Pinstripes all the way, baby.  I could write forever about this storied franchise but I’ll try to stay focused and impartial and just assess them on where they rank as an eco friendly ball club.   Did I mention that I love them? Should I mention they lead the league in being eco-friendly too?

Professional sports franchises are often derided by cynics as being driven by greed and embroiled in controversy. I think that they can be cornerstones in bringing together communities and in terms of green initiatives can lead by example.

I have to say that my findings are impressive, those famed pinstripes could almost be green this summer. According to the club, the Yankees are “committed to purchasing only paper products made from 100 percent recyclable paper. Yankee Stadium is the first major league ballpark to commit to keeping all of its operations and maintenance manuals 100 percent electronic. This saves 10 trees, 100 pounds of solid waste, 1,000 gallons of waste water and 10,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity.”  They are also committed to promoting a sustainable environment and have implemented green initiatives which include sighting fixtures that consume approximately 300 fewer watts which translated into nearly 207,000 pounds of CO2 emissions saved per every night game. I’m hoping that includes extra emissions savings long into October. They also have a Sustainable Facility Program which includes responsible consumption through the use of intelligent technology.  Their Sustainable Facility Program results combine for saving 3.1 million gallons of water per season and results in the diversion of 40% of trash away from landfills.  Just think of the savings in water, that’s enough to fill a 10 foot deep swimming pool that would be over 800 feet long and 50 feet wide. Can’t wait to see how the Red Sox nation compares with that! I’ve a feeling they will be green with envy.

Some controversy does exist with the politics surrounding the building of the new stadium but let’s look forward.  In the end, one of (if not the) most recognized professional sports team in the world is setting an excellent green example. As a fan, I am thrilled they’ve become an eco friendly club and hopefully that will trickle down to their millions of fans around the world. We might not agree on our favorite team but we can agree that the Yankees are making a difference, and you can too.

The Planet Forward Sustainable Scribe’s Green Verdict on the Yankees :  NEW STADIUM MEANS YANKEES WILL SEE PLAYOFFS AND MIGHT WIN IT ALL!

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Tags: baseball stadiums, Boston Red Sox, co2 emissions, community building, eco-friendly ideas, eco-friendly stadiums, electricity, electricity conservation, Green Initiatives, green stadiums, Major League Baseball, MLB, MLB initiatives, new stadiums, New Yankee Stadium, new york city, New York Yankees, pinstripes, planet forward, Professional Sports Green, stadia, stadiums, sustainable environment, the bronx, Toronto Blue Jays, Yankee Stadium

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