Stadiums consume vast amounts of energy every day, from heating and cooling, ventilation, electronics, lighting, and other appliances and contribute 40% of all global warming pollution. By increasing the efficiency of these energy consumers, your team can save money while simultaneously improving environmental performance.

Visit the federal government’s Energy Star products database for listings of the most energy efficient products on the market, for a wide range of product categories. Also consider including Energy Star and energy efficiency specifications in contracts and requests for proposal. Contract language examples and additional product specifications can be found at the EPA’s Environmentally Preferable Purchasing Database. EPA’s Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT) can also help you specify cost-competitive, high-performance, and environmentally preferable computer desktops, laptops, and monitors.

Also consider installing energy efficient hand-dryers in restrooms to reduce or eliminate the use of paper towels. For energy-efficient models visit Building Green: Handdryers

For a list of energy efficiency incentives and rebates in Washington, visit the Database of State Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency.

Sample contract language

• Computers and computer services
  
• Lighting
  
• HVAC
  
• Appliances
  

• When buying an appliance, always try to buy one that is certified by EPA’s Energy Star program
• If Energy Star does not rate the particular appliance, purchase the most efficient model feasible
• Look for other energy saving features such as programmability and power-save functions
• Many products continue to use energy, even when they’re turned off. Look for products that use as little energy as possible while in “off” mode.
• Plug appliances into a power-strip instead of directly into the wall socket, so that you can turn off all energy demand from the appliance when it is not in use.

Dear _______,

The Seattle Mariners have initiated an effort to improve our environmental performance in all aspects of our operations. We would like to meet with you to discuss these objectives in more detail. We would also like to discuss ways to cost-effectively switch to more efficient products within the next few years

Energy use is one of the principle contributors to air pollution and global warming. By reducing our consumption of energy, we can reduce these impacts and save money at the same time. We would like to reduce as much as possible the harmful effects associated with our operations, and we would like to speak with you about more efficient alternatives to the energy consuming products that we are currently using.

Please call me as soon as you can so that we can set a time for a meeting to pursue this discussion.

Very Truly Yours,

Energy use is one of the largest environmental impacts in any facility, and also one of the greatest costs. Most energy consumed in the United States comes from coal and other fossil fuels, which contribute significantly to global warming, smog, soot, and numerous negative health conditions. In addition, coal mining – especially surface mining and mountaintop removal – is devastating many of the world’s most biologically important habitat. Reducing energy use can have a positive impact on all of these factors and will also have a beneficial impact on the bottom line, and one of the best ways to reduce office energy use is to buy products that use less energy. EPA’s Energy Star program rates electronic products on energy use and grants their seal to those products that meet their standards.

Energy Star EPA’s Environmentally Preferable Purchasing Database
U.S. Department of Energy – Energy Efficient Appliances and Electronics
New York City – Manual for Quality, Energy Efficient Lighting
Environmental Benefits and Cost Savings Calculator for Purchasers
Energy Star Savings Calculators
Climate Savers Computing Initiative
Consortium for Energy Efficiency