Issues: Green Enterprise

As one of its first efforts with Major League Baseball, NRDC helped the world champion Boston Red Sox become a true "green monster." Watch the video.

NRDC organized Green Teams to help keep Central Park clean during the All-Star Game celebration concert by Bon Jovi. See photos of them in action.

THE GREEN CARPET

Baseball honored some of its biggest Hall of Famers on July 15, 2008, with a parade down Sixth Avenue, including a red carpet stretching 18 blocks and covering 95,000 square feet.

With NRDC's encouragement, the massive red carpet became "green." Here's how:

» Carpet maker Bentley Prince Street used 100 percent renewable electricity in the manufacturing process.

» The company's facility is the first carpet manufacturer to receive a LEED-EB silver rating from the U.S. Green Building Council.

» The carpet was made with 100 percent recycled fiber.

» Bentley Prince Street completely recycled the carpet after the parade, keeping 45,000 pounds of material out of landfills.

WHO ELSE IS GOING GREEN?

» The Oscars: Featured organic and environmentally friendly food at the Governors' Ball (even the large chocolate Oscar was "green"). More Examples

» The GRAMMYS: Purchased renewable energy credits to offset carbon emissions from the pre-show telecast and red carpet arrivals. More Examples

» NBA: Working with teams to move their arenas toward the use of renewable energy sources.

Whether your favorite player wears red socks, pinstripes or Royal blue, fans of Major League Baseball can all root for the same color: green.

Major League Baseball has teamed up with the Natural Resources Defense Council to help make the sport friendlier to the environment. Those efforts were on display during the 2008 All-Star Game in New York City, from a concert in Central Park featuring Bon Jovi through the game itself on July 15 at Yankee Stadium.

NRDC has a long history of advising businesses and organizations about ways to reduce their environmental impact. Those we've worked with include the 79th and 80th Annual Academy Awards, the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences' GRAMMY Awards, and major corporations such as the Warner Music Group and Capitol Music Group.

In addition to its work with Major League Baseball, NRDC is currently engaged in partnerships with the NBA, the NHL, and the U.S. Tennis Association to encourage the wholesale greening of professional sports.

Save Energy, Save Money, Save the Planet

But it's not just sporting events and award shows that can benefit from going green. The NRDC Greening Advisor can help any commercial business or organization to reduce its environmental impacts. Greening principles can often cut costs by helping your business use less energy, produce less waste, consume less paper and use resources more efficiently.

Here are some ways that baseball's 79th All-Star Game went green (and guides for your organization):

• Powering the All-Star Game and DHL All-Star FanFest entirely with renewable energy generated by wind farms and donated by Community Energy. (Yankee Stadium was powered by renewable energy for the first time in its 85-year history.)
  • How you can use green power


• Partnering with New York City's Metropolitan Transportation Authority to shuttle fans in clean-air hybrid buses to the DHL All-Star FanFest at the Jacob K. Javits Center.
  • How you can drive green


• Using bio-based products and materials made from recycled content at events throughout All-Star Week.
  • How you can use green paper


• Handing out 700,000 reusable All-Star totes for fans nationwide to use at the grocery store. They were made from 80 percent post-consumer recycled content.
  • How you can buy green


• Sponsoring an Eco-Play playground build at Kips Bay Boys & Girls Club in the Bronx to help support the local community, using 85 percent recycled materials,.
  • How you can build green


• Creating "Green Teams" at All-Star events to collect trash for recycling.
  • How you can reduce waste

The league also handed out 50,000 wallet guides with environmental tips for fans to practice at home. "Baseball is in a unique position to exert positive influence in the area of environmental stewardship," Commissioner Allan H. (Bud) Selig says. "Sound environmental practices...protect our natural resources for future generations of baseball fans."

You can be an all-star and make your own life greener with NRDC's Green Living Toolkit. Step up to the plate today.

More Resources:
Green Business
Green Living

Related Materials
2008 MLB All-Star Week Greening Fact Sheet (pdf)

last revised 7.29.08