New York Yankees Parade Debate – Eco-friendly Celebration or Wasteful Excess?
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We’re going to approach this healthy eco-debate from two sides: Yankees fan (Angela) vs. Yankees hater (The Ecolectual) but both in support of an eco-friendly lifestyle. We’ll try to stay focused on the topic and not let our personal feelings cloud our opinion although no promises are being made by The Ecolectual.
The Ecolectual: Apparently the global recess that left California bankrupt did not affect New York City judging by the money and excess wasted on the Ticker Tape parade thrown on Friday November 6, 2009 to celebrate the 27th World Series win for the New York Yankees. Foxbusiness.com says that “the city estimates that the parade will cost roughly the same amount as 2008’s parade for the New York Giants Super Bowl win, which cost around $331,000 for floats, added police protection, and clean-up. However, an undetermined portion of the cost for the Yankee’s parade will be chipped in by private donors, according to the city, which said that all but around $20,000 of the cost of the Giant’s parade was donated.”
Angela: First of all, you lose me when ”Fox” anything is positioned as a reference source but I’ll stay focused. New York is the financial hub of the US so it definitely has been hit by the recession but it’s important to still celebrate even in times of high unemployment and home foreclosures. It’s uplifting at a time people need it most. Of course, there will always be those who disagree – you can’t please everyone. It’s important to note that the majority of the money came from private donors and I’m sure having 2-3 million people flood the parade route helped local business and transit revenue.
The Ecolectual: The donations could have been allocated to a much more worthwhile cause than celebrating the win of the team with the largest payroll in Major League Baseball. So, can one really call that a win? The fund could have gone to school breakfast programs or helping the homeless, but rather the money was spent on boosting A-Rod’s ever expanding ego and celebrating the likes of soulless slack-witted A.J Burnett. The “money won’t be spent on confetti this year, thanks to an [eco-friendly alternative, which was the] donation of a half ton of shredded recycled packing materials made by Red Hook, Brooklyn-based Atlas Materials. While just over 1,200 pounds of confetti was ordered, an estimated 30 to 40 tons of debris will be cleaned from the parade route this year if previous years’ results are any indication.” So the eco-maniacal Yankees, found a way to stave off some of the critics of this parade by using an eco-friendly alternative to virgin ticker tape and confetti, as they likely did at their last parade in 2000. That the paper is recycled does not make up for the fact that it still needs to be collected from the street before being recycled.
Angela: I’ll try to ignore the personal attacks on the players and stay focused on the eco-friendly/excessive waste debate. For the record, the A-Rod ego thing I get but that’s way harsh for fun-loving A.J but I know you have some ex-Jays anger towards him. I’ll start by saying that the City of New York organized the parade and not the New York Yankees. The ticker tape parade down the Canyon of Heroes is a New York tradition dating back to the dedication of the Statue of Liberty in 1886. It’s dug in…it has roots. I think the City of New York did the best thing in that they not only respected the tradition but also recognized progress. The extra debris is going to happen whenever a crowd gathers. If we eliminate crowds to avoid debris than that would pretty much cancel all events – sports, musical or otherwise.
The Ecolectual: First off the Yankees could not afford the parade because they spent all their money purchasing a winning team. The question still remains how will the estimated 20-40 tons on debris be cleaned up? Again we turn to Foxbusiness.com for an explanation of the cities process for cleaning up after these parades. Apparently “just behind the last float in the parade will be the mechanical brooms and sweepers of the city’s Sanitation Department, which will get most of the debris cleaned up before mid-afternoon. After that, the 53 sanitation workers of the Downtown Alliance will be picking up stray confetti for the next several weeks that fall onto tress, ledges and overhangs.” The fact that the debris will take weeks to clean up, is detrimental to the environment, as it could cause anything from clogged storm drains to endangering wildlife, all as a result of the parade. Was this really an eco-friendly alternative? I have nothing against having a celebratory a parade. Yes, the emissions of the floats are an issue, but that can be said for any city; what makes New York special is the ticker-tape. It is this act of hurling paper out of windows even if it is an eco-friendly recycled paper alternative demonstrates an exercise in excess and waste, which I guess sums up the Yankees organization and payroll.
Angela: Ughh…“Fox” and “business” again….I’ll let it go. All the debris that was picked up from the parade was recycled. Also, as you mentioned, they started that process literally on the heels of the last float to limit what became air-bound. The recycled ticker-tape paper will go on to be recycled again. Yes, the act itself does seem a little antiquated in these eco-sensitive times but no more so than many acts I see being committed on a daily basis. Planned obsolescence is a far worse crime and that’s rampant. The City of New York organized the parade - not the Yankees and I think they paid homage to a time honoured tradition as responsibly as they could. I actually applaud their effort to make it as green and eco-friendly as possible and Jay-Z helped put everyone in an Empire State of Mind. Add Jeter to all that and it’s a perfect reflection of the New York Yankees.
