In 2004, the owners of the Philadelphia Eagles approached the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) for help to improve the environmental profile of their team’s stadium, training facilities, and offices. NRDC worked with the Eagles’ consultants, staff and vendors to implement a number of improvements:

• Twenty-five percent of the team’s energy is now supplied by renewable sources such as wind
• The team uses less-polluting cleaning and maintenance products
• The team increased its use of recycled, processed chlorine-free paper in its offices and publications
• The team has begun to recycle cooking fat for conversion to biodiesel
• The team has installed solar energy panels to power its scoreboard

In a December, 2005 game against the St. Louis Rams, the Eagles also offset all greenhouse gas emissions resulting from the day’s stadium operations, the first ever “climate-neutral” regular season game in the history of the sport.

Through these initiatives, the Eagles avoided the emission of over 65 tons of greenhouse gasses, 2 billion BTUs of dirty energy generation, avoided the use of 90 tons of wood, and saved over 100,000 trees, many of which would have been harvested from eagle habitat.

More than a decade ago, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) added “environment” to what had been the two underlying pillars of the Olympic Games - sport and culture. This sent a message to the world that sustainability and sports are inherently related.

In recent years, the IOC has lived up to its pledge and has undertaken one of the most comprehensive sports greening initiatives in the world. The program is an excellent example of what is possible when the environment is considered a priority. The IOC has collaborated with other organizations, such as the United Nations Environmental Program, Greenpeace, Coca Cola, and others; it has established a Sport and Environment advisory committee to oversee its environmental goals; it educates the public; and it has achieved significant and tangible environmental improvements.

Olympic games in Sydney (2000), Salt Lake City (2002), and Torino (2006) were also environmentally successful. In Sydney, Australia, the IOC collaborated with Greenpeace to implement a host of environmentally preferable practices. The construction of Olympic Park, for example, reclaimed a heavily polluted site. The clean up of that site was the largest environmental remediation in Australia’s history. Every event venue used 100% green power and the Games single-handedly doubled Australia’s use of solar power. Public transportation was encouraged through a variety of measures. Water recycling and reuse systems reduced water use. Olympic partnerships with large corporations like Coca Cola and Fosters Brewing Company led to both companies’ pledging to improve refrigeration methods by phasing out the use of hydrochloroflorocarbons (an ozone-destroying compound).

The Salt Lake City and Torino Games followed in the footsteps of the Sydney 2000 Games and in some ways improved upon them. Like Sydney, the Salt Lake and Torino games gave priority to the purchase of environmentally preferable products, supported public transportation, reduced waste, and promoted many other environmentally sound practices. Their organizers designed environmental management plans certified by reputable international agencies. The Salt Lake and Torino games were also climate neutral, meaning that by investing in alternative energy, more efficient technology, and by offsetting emissions, neither Olympiad contributed to global warming.

The International Olympic Committee’s commitment to sustainability has produced tangible advances in the environmental performance of Olympic Games. The Games demonstrate that large sporting events can be successful and environmentally responsible.

In 2006, the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), in cooperation with the United Nations, several German governmental and non-governmental organizations, and numerous sponsors, implemented comprehensive efforts to “green” this professional sporting event. Called “Green Goal,” the program organized the most environmentally responsible World Cup in history. FIFA president Joseph S. Blatter explained, “We will make a better world by taking care of its natural resources. Green Goal is therefore the first and most important goal of the FIFA Football World Cup 2006.”

The program established measurable environmental targets for waste management, water conservation, energy use, and transportation, and adopted the following guiding “green goals”:

• Avoid waste, ensure environmentally sound recycling, and properly dispose of any unavoidable refuse.
• Conserve water by reducing unnecessary consumption and substituting rainwater, surface water, and well water in appropriate circumstances. Minimize groundwater and wastewater contamination. Reduce stormwater runoff by designing for natural infiltration.
• Conserve energy wherever possible and economically feasible. Ensure that energy used during the World Cup is produced in the most environmentally sound manner possible.
• Avoid unnecessary traffic and encourage environmentally preferable means of transportation.

Attendance at the 2006 World Cup exceeded 3 million people, all of them creating trash and using energy and water. Green Goal sought to minimize the World Cup’s impact, and the program produced some successes. On average, 57% of game attendees rode local public transportation, using match tickets that doubled as one-day travel cards; drinks were served in reusable containers; stadiums were partly powered with solar energy; water was conserved by using dry urinals and rainwater collection systems; construction materials were reused or recycled; and 300 specially trained volunteers passed out information about Green Goal to fans. In addition to these initiatives, Green Goal arranged for the offset of much of the event’s carbon emissions. (In the U.S., offsetting one megawatt-hour of carbon emissions costs only about $20).

Green Goal’s success indicates the momentum that is building for the greening of professional sports and demonstrates that the largest sporting event in the world can improve its environmental performance to significantly reduce its environmental impact.