Tell the NFL to Go the Whole Nine Yards

by Chris Santiago · 2010-02-01 14:15:00 UTC
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The Super Bowl. It seems like our greatest celebration of waste and excess. But here's the twist: The National Football League feels this way too. And for the last 16 years, the NFL has looked for ways to reduce its environmental impact, both on the cities that host the Super Bowl and on the world at large.

As I write this post, an armada of buses, cars, cruise ships, and jumbo jets is converging on Miami, spewing out tons of carbon emissions. And next Sunday at kickoff time (go Colts! Sorry, I'm an embittered Vikings fan...) millions of families will fire up their grills and TV sets, cranking up the wattage to bring the spectacle home. Add all these things up, and you've got a linebacker-sized carbon footprint.

The league's efforts to be environmentally kinder and gentler began in 1994, with a less-than-stellar attempt to recycle solid waste. Those efforts have now been refined to include donations of unused food and other materials to local shelters. In addition, the NFL plants trees to offset carbon emissions, powers the Super Bowl stadium with renewable sources, employs fleets of hybrid and biodiesel vehicles, and gets the community involved with programs like Super Kids-Super Sharing, which encourages young students to reuse and recycle by donating items to children in underserved areas. (For a list of Super Bowl XLIV's environmental projects, click here.)

It won't solve the world's energy problems. But the NFL's environmental program has a couple of advantages we can't afford to overlook: It can reach people that more stereotypical greens can't. And because of its visibility, the NFL's efforts to reduce emissions has already inspired other large companies and organizations to follow its example, including the U.S. military.

So, next week, whether you're tuning into the game while munching on some bratwurst, or tuning out while downing a veggie dog, think about encouraging the NFL to take its efforts even farther. Send an email applauding something you think the NFL is doing right, or make a constructive suggestion on an effort that could be improved. Because it would be terrific if the Super Bowl became less about glorified excess and more about how other businesses and organizations can find ways to be smarter and greener.

Photo credit: Cordey

Chris Santiago is a freelance writer and editor. He most recently worked at McGraw-Hill and "got green" at Oberlin College.
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