Green Saturday: Take Me Out To The Ballgame!

Thing One's birthday is coming up soon. His great love right now: baseball. Seriously, sometimes I wonder if David Ortiz really IS his Papi. We bought him tickets to a Padres game (no Red Sox this year, though.) and I was presented with an interesting "green" ticket delivery choice. It even said "Go Green!" You can elect to have your tickets held in virtual Will Call, and print them out at the gate by swiping your credit card. They had me at green until I realized I would just be printing them anyway. I opted for home printing (on recycled paper; and I know I recycle used ink cartridges.) Anyway, it led me on a hunt for some interesting developments in the sporting world, not really known for it's Eco-Friendliness.

The New National's Park in Washinton, D.C. is awaiting certification from the U.S Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (better known as LEED.) Here's a link to an interactive story about the new park. Here's the official team website. I'll bet they have great Veggie Burgers, too.


Not a baseball fan? The Philadelphia Eagles are as green as they come in the NFL. They have a Go Green link on their homepage that outlines the new Eagles Forest (you can buy a tree!) and the Eagles attempts at Carbon Neutral Games. Here's an ABC news article about the greenest team in the NFL. Go Eagles!



Love golf? Here's a fabulous resource provided by Audubon International for finding environmentally friendly courses, getting your course or club involved, and ways golf courses can help the environment. You can also become an Audubon Green Golfer and make a pledge to adhere to the golf environmental etiquette tips above and join others who are making a public statement about their love of the game and love of the natural environment where the game is played.

My favorite genre of sports is also one of the most harmful. I love motorsports, and I was so glad to see the governing body of Formula One (the FIA) show their support for the Make Cars Green Campaign. Gotta love Honda's Car this year, too. :) Wired magazine had an article about F1's Green Measures last year HERE. Maybe there is hope for all of motorsports.

And always remember to think green on your way to and at the event. Take public transportation, walk if you can. Do you really need a golf cart? And make sure to recycle those beer cans after your Daytona party! If they can do it, so can we.

Play ball!