St. Louis Cardinals Show Economic Impact of Going Green

Two years after moving to the new Busch Stadium, the St. Louis Cardinals implemented their "4 A Greener Game" sustainability plan to mitigate the environmental impacts of hosting Major League Baseball games. Since 2008, the team has shown major improvements in reducing energy use and waste generation.For the Cardinals, the biggest impacts have come in the form of reduced energy use. By switching to compact fluorescent lights (CFLs) for nearly all the lighting throughout Busch Stadium, St. Louis has cut its energy costs by 20 percent. They have also installed more energy-efficient heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration systems throughout the ballpark.In addition to energy savings, the team has also benefitted from policies that have diverted over 2,500 tons of waste from landfills through recycling and composting programs. In the process, the Cardinals have reduced solid waste output by 30 percent. They have also reduced water use at the ballpark by 10 percent.“It’s keeping score, not only from an energy standpoint but from a dollar standpoint,” Cardinals vice president of stadium operations Joe Abernathy said. “If you won't keep score, you'll never know.”Read the full article here. Related Articles:Recycling the Focus of St. Louis Cardinals 5th Annual Green Week