Super Bowl Fifty: Tackling Sustainability

Living in the shadow of the world’s media capital, New York City, with the shared home of two professional rival football teams not far from my backyard, football is often and always in the news and in and out of my home – for better and for worse! There are pick up games in my backyard and passionate and heated discussions regularly around my dinner table – my daughter, son and husband are loyal and longtime New York Football Giants fans. Lately, our discussions have been centered on: San Francisco and Super Bowl 50; the early retirement of the New York Giant’s coach Bill Coughlin; Will Smith’s oscar snub and; both the Frontline and Hollywood versions of the NFL concussion stories.

Even with a Climate Mama and Papa at the table, what hasn’t been at the forefront of our dinner discussions is the broad greening of the NFL, and more specifically the sustainability programs and efforts that have been put in place around Super Bowl 50. This is about to change around our table, and I hope around yours too. Our friends at GreenSportsBlog clued us in to the “Green Super Bowl happenings;” part of their continued efforts to help us connect the dots between all things “Sports and Green.”

Locally in the San Francisco Bay area, the NFL and the Super Bowl 50 Host Committee have teamed to develop a series of initiatives to reduce the environmental impact of Super Bowl activities and to leave a “green” legacy throughout the San Francisco Bay Area.

Key projects include the Super Kids – Super Sharing Book and Sports Equipment donation project, the Super Bowl 50 Urban Forestry Project and a public E-Waste Recycling Rally.

Be sure to sign up for and share the Play Your Part Campaign. The Super Bowl 50 Host Committee has made a commitment to deliver a ‘net positive’ event based on these four main goals:

• To deliver a low-emissions event (power/ transportation)
• To responsibly use materials and resources (food/water/waste)
• To leave a positive and lasting legacy for the region
• And, last but not least, to inspire fans to join in, to make all of this a reality

We definitely suggest following GreenSportsblog to find out how your favorite sports team is doing on the sustainability scale. We know you will be surprised and that you will have a whole new set of statistics and stories to impress your friends and share around the family dinner table!

Yours,

Climate Mama