Sports stadiums are showing cities how to be greener

Solar panels and recycling bins are becoming as common as hot dog vendors for professional sports teams and their venues, according to a report released last week by my colleagues at the Natural Resources Defense Council, in collaboration with the Green Sports Alliance. The process of putting the industry’s operations on a more sustainable course has been ongoing for some time, and it is important: not only is the business of big-time sports highly visible in our culture, but it also can use tremendous environmental resources and generate significant emissions (think lighting at night games, air conditioning in domed stadiums, high-volume traffic getting to and fro). When teams, leagues, and stadiums make significant progress in improving their performance, they deserve our applause.

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