MLB Teams Up with NRDC on Environmental Initiatives at 2014 All-Star Game

For the sixth straight season, Major League Baseball and the Natural Resources Defense Council are teaming up to incorporate environmental sustainability into the 2014 All-Star Game. Target Field, the home of the Minnesota Twins and the first professional sports facility to receive a LEED Silver Certification for both construction and operations, will host the game and the attendant events over the week. Among the sustainability initiatives on which MLB, NRDC, and the Twins are teaming up include:

• An All-Star Walking Path in conjunction with the Downtown Improvement District to encourage fans to walk rather than drive to the game, reducing the impact of carbon emissions via transportation;
• Programs to promote recycling, including “All-Star Green Teams” that will circulate through the stadium to collect recyclables as well as stadium signage to educate fans on the importance of recycling;
• Energy offsets and water restoration credits to reduce the energy and water-usage impacts of the All-Star Game and its other events;
• Assistance on a larger project in St. Paul that involves the enhancement and restoration of seven acres of woodlands in the city;
• A partnership with Rock and Wrap it Up! that will redistribute prepared, unconsumed food to local communities in need, including the Salvation Army Harbor Light Center; and
• The use of recycled materials to produce tickets, programs, and the red carpet for the All-Star Red Carpet Show presented by Chevrolet.

This initiative meshes with the Twins’ ongoing dedication to sustainable initiatives, which have resulted in the reclamation of over 3 million gallons of rainwater and the diversion of over 3,700 tons of waste from landfills since 2011.Read the full article here.