8-2-16 - final - capstone paper - benjamin c. karr

Stadium Sustainable Systems

A Trend Analysis and Stadium Master Plan for the National Football League

Benjamin C. Karr

Sports Industry Management Program

Georgetown University School of Continuing Studies

Stadium Sustainable Systems1

Table of Contents

Executive Summary…………………………………………………………………………….3

Introduction…………………………………………………………………………………….4

Background/Literature Review………………………………………………………………...5

Environmental Issues…………………………………………………………………..5

Sustainability History in Sport: Greening & Greenwashing………...…………………6

Case Studies …………………………………………………………………………...9

Solar…………………………………………………………………………....11

Wind…………………………………………………………………………...14

LED……………………………………………………………………………14

Waste Disposal Management…………..……………………………………...15

NFL Stadium/Transportation Design……...…………………………………..16

Water Conservation……………………………………………………………19

Other Smaller Initiatives……………………………………………………….19

Summary of Key Issues...……………………………………………………………………...21

Thesis Statement/Research Questions………………………………………………………....21

Master Design Plan…………………………………………………………………………….22

Social Media/ PR for Master Plan……………………………………………………..24

Analysis………………………………………………………………………………………..25

Financial Considerations………………………………………………………………………26

Measurement/Objectives…………………………………………………………...………….28

Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………………..29

References .......………………………………………………………………………………..32

Appendices…………………………………………………………………………………….37


Executive Summary

It is imperative to view sustainability and sport intertwined far beyond simply “going green”.

The power of successful sustainability platforms within organizations reaches broad horizons. In

the light of faint efforts, it can be agreed upon that much more must be done towards stadium

sustainability. Over the last decade there have been a number of improvements across many

sectors, propelling teams to adopt proper sustainable systems, forward thinking. Thus, a trend in

the sports industry market has begun. The goal of organizations has now shifted to creating a

positive impact on people, while making profit and taking care of our planet. Furthermore, these

strategies have made sustainable efforts both affordable and paying off in the long run.

In the creation of a NFL Stadium Sustainability Matrix, mapping stadium programs across the

National Football League, a master plan of best practices can be created to be followed by

organizations.


Introduction

Professional sports organizations serve as the beating heart to a number of Americans.

Every weekend, millions tune into their favorite teams marching up and down the field to glory.

With these large-scale events comes a price to be paid. Not only do these games cost millions of

dollars to produce, but there is an environmental cost that many choose to ignore, until recent

years. Environmental issues and practices are placed at a higher value, as we have seen drastic

changes to our planet, scientifically. Dr. Allen Hershkowitz, President and Co-Founder of the

Green Sports Alliance and Senior Scientist for the National Resources Defense Council sees the

lack of interest in this area among sports fans: “16% of Americans follow Science, while 70% of

Americans follow sport” (A. Hershkowitz, personal communication, July 2016).

Despite this lack of interest, science and sustainability comes near and dear to my heart as

it has become a major part of my life. My father, Richard Karr, has spent the last 30 years

working as an Environmental Consultant and Engineering Geologist. We were always

resourceful and my father always stressed the importance of sustainability renewable sources to

be used for everyday common life.

The future of sport will be driven by the necessary systems practices by teams and

organizations across all of professional sports. Specifically, the National Football League is

setting the bar extremely high in terms of innovation, design, and implementation. The drive for

change is created through the push for organizations to be held accountable for their

environmental impact. Though, it is clear that business decisions should take sustainable

programs into account much more strongly throughout the league.


Background/Literature Review

The sports industry has established embracing the environmentally conscious platform.

Despite the opportunities organizations have already taken advantage of, this is just the

beginning. Society has shifted to push further into this field and adopt environmentally friendly

practices in the limelight of noticeable environmental changes. Through history, humans have

generally lived their lives without the proper knowledge of how their short-term economic gain

came at the expense of the environment. This has erected into the notion that humans have

become the biggest threat to our planet.

Environmental Issues

There is significant data to support the claim that there are environmental changes

happening with human activity serving as a catalyst. Every day, approximately 90 million tons of

potentially harmful greenhouse gasses are added to the air. This number can be attributed to the 1

trillion tons emitted over the last 60 years. Other data shows this has already started to affect

ecosystems across the globe: It is getting significantly hotter, as record breaking temperatures are

recorded nationwide (See Appendix for N.O.A.A. temperature data).

Changes to the environment are well documented and recognized as legitimate. The

issues are rooted much deeper than heat issues over the last decade. Water efficiency continues

as a major problem, contributing to be the single largest cause of death in the world. Human

development of land has broken down rainforests globally and has even destroyed an acre of

wetlands in the United States every minute. Trash, specifically plastic due to careless waste

management disposals linger as a major problem in our oceans. Although changes in our

environmental practices domestically have begun, there still needs to be a continuation of

education and efforts, pushed by social change.


Sustainability History in Sport: Beginning with Greening and Greenwashing

Recognition serves as the first step on the path towards solution followed by awareness

and education. Efforts have already been adopted by major sports organizations over time. The

analytical data explains the potential impacts of climate change and environmental wrong-

doings. Many organizations have already implemented sustainable programs – many of these

innovations are still in the formation stages, leaving much room for organizations to step forward

with potentially industry-bar-setting initiatives and programs.

The National Resources Defense Council (NRDC) believes their cooperation with the

National Football League’s Philadelphia Eagles in 2003 started the NFL’s environmentally

conscious practices. “The team owners asked NRDC to help them figure out how to reduce the

stadium’s carbon footprint, both during and after its initial build, and this changed the game for

good” (MacMillian, 2016).

Today’s NFL fans experience various implemented sustainable facility programs,

otherwise known as greening. Greening is the process of creating or increasing awareness of

environmental considerations. In sports, there are a number of ways of doing this: paperless

tickets, water conservation, conserving energy using light-emitting diode (LED) lights, solar

panel powered video boards, and waste disposal to name a few. The process of greening not only

provides an opportunity for improvement operationally, but it is financially feasible. This notion

should be considered as the North American sports market has an estimated worth of $60.5

billion in 2014 and is expected to reach $73.5 billion by 2019” (Heitner, 2016). There’s a

creation of unique cultural and economic influence to be used and these are modeled throughout

the business sector, creating an educational experience on how to be great environmental

stewards. This thus strengthens community ties and builds upon the organization’s brand.


The NRDC released a professional sports sustainability report in 2012. In this report, the

NRDC found (2012) 15 professional sports stadiums or arenas to achieve LEED green building

certification, 18 with onsite installed solar arrays, and 68 with energy efficiency programs. Some

38 professional teams have shifted to renewable energy for at least some of their operations.

Millions of pounds of paper products have been shifted towards recycled content or eliminated

altogether. Recycling and composting programs have been or are being developed at virtually all

professional stadiums and arenas. The large sports concessionaires that collectively feed tens of

millions of people each year have all developed environmentally preferable menus for at least

some of their offerings.

The U.S. Green Building Council is a top third-party verification system for sustainable

structures around the world. It uses LEED certification, or Leadership in Energy and

Environmental Design, by organizations and communities to propose, create, retain and operate

green programs. Based on a numbered point system a green project will receive one of the four

LEED rating levels. These include Certified, Silver, Gold, and Platinum level. Through the

community network, continuous collaboration with industry experts, market research

publications and LEED professional credentials, USGBC remains a key driving force in the

green building sector (USGBC, 2016), specifically the NFL.

The Green Sports Alliance is another entity professional sports use in greening. “By

leveraging the cultural and market influence of sports, they promote health, sustainable

communities where we live and play” (Green Sports Alliance, 2016). Since 2011, this

organization has made a national presence, growing to over 300 professional and collegiate

programs and venues from 20 sports leagues and 14 nations across the globe. Their commitment

lies with environmental performance. The Green Sports Alliance serves as an excellent example


of the sports greening movement across a plethora of organizations and leagues. Of the major

four professional sports leagues in the United States, only the MLB, NBA and NHL are included

as active members. The absence of the NFL shows that there is still a need for improvement

regarding the NFL’s involvement with sustainability programs and the collective movement

across professional sports.

Greenwashing is a term that can be seen floating around the corporate world. It is when

companies try to portray themselves as more environmentally minded than the practices they

actually partake in. Brands will try to capitalize on movements at the expense of ethical

depiction. TerraChoice, a consulting firm that studied the phenomenon, found that 95 percent of

the products marketed as eco-friendly had committed at least one of what it called the ‘“seven

sins’ of greenwashing. Those sins include relatively benign offenses like using weak data to

more deliberate deceptions like inventing bogus certifications” (Gelles, 2015). Despite these faux

efforts, greenwashing does not seem to have any roots in the sports industry. In an article

published in the Yale Climate Connections, Green Sports Alliance President Allen Herschkowitz

does not see the connection in sports: "’We are the NRDC. We don’t do greenwashing’ and a

few serious NRDC watchers challenge that assertion. And there’s little question that

Herschkowitz, installed this [2015] October as GSA president, and NRDC have been

instrumental and deeply involved in the greening effort of pro sports teams from the start”

(Ward, 2014). Although moral practices seen across professional sports disprove any notion of

greenwashing, there is always an opportunity for improvement in any program.

Case Studies

The NFL has taken great strides towards the greening task since the first implementations

with the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field in 2003. The NRDC served as a technical


http://sinsofgreenwashing.com/index35c6.pdf

advisor that helped create widespread change throughout the league. This partnership led way to

NRDC Trustee Robert Reford to become the principal environmental advisor to professional

sports in September of 2004. With the help of Allen Herschkowitz and the NRDC, they

collectively pushed sports towards environmentally friendly practices by showing it is good

business. By 2008 the NRDC became the environmental advisor to the NFL, boosting

organizations to begin to take data measurements of each individual team’s carbon footprint. By

2010 the NRDC joined Vulcan, Inc., a corporation owned by Paul Allen, Microsoft co-founder,

to form the Green Sports Alliance. This organization was the first of its kind and has shown

steadfast dedication to the best greening programs in the world.

In 2012 the NRDC released a report on greening tasks across all of professional sports,

the first of its kind. Within this report lies a set list of elements of an effective green sports

program. These tasks are what set apart NFL organizations, venues and stadiums from

competitors (See Appendix for Table 1).

The National Football League’s environmental effort focus is creating sustainable

programs for official NFL events and facilities while working with organizations to adopt these

practices into their businesses operationally. According to the NRDC, establishing a clear line of

authority while surrounding the leading figures with enthusiasts that are not only accountable,

but are truly interested in environmentally friendly practices serves as a key factor in green

sports program. Additionally, engaging any stakeholders for support will help sustain these

practices. Being organized will help a green program initiate, including set times for meetings,

data collection of current energy, water and paper consumption trends as well as national and

local resources. The NRDC sees setting a mission statement and goals as the backbone for any

greening program. Rounding off these foundations is the tracking and data collection, post Stadium Sustainable Systems

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installment. These elements serve as what an effective greening task for the NRDC and the

National Football League.

The NRDC teaming up with the NFL to create an EPA-award winning Greening

Advising initiative serves as a guide to help professional sport team organizations adapt

environmentally friendly practices into everyday business operations. According to the NRDC’s

Greening Advisor website for the NFL (2016), they see many different avenues by which these

eco-intelligent elements can be executed: By promoting energy efficiency, recycling programs,

waste reduction, water conservation and other smart operations, teams will help keep our

nation’s air and water clean, reduce their contribution to global warming and see cost saving

benefits. The league even takes greening concepts into its own office spaces. At the NFL’s three

primary office facilities, a number of changes have undergone, as well as the headquarters

moving in 2011 into a new LEED certified space in Manhattan, New York City.

Individual evaluations of each team’s implemented program have been compiled into a

NFL Team Stadium Sustainability Matrix, the first of its kind. Through these evaluations, we can

build an organization of greening topics, thus creating a summary of best practices. The

summary will provide adequate information on greening initiatives that proves the NFL to be

innovators across professional sports (See Appendix for NFL Team Stadium Sustainability

Matrix).

In building this Matrix, it is important to identify the various avenues of creating

sustainability initiatives. The green topics defined by teams within the NFL are solar, wind, LED

lighting, waste disposal management & recycling, water conservation, energy conservation, NFL

stadium/transportation design, and other smaller initiatives. LEED certification is another area


that is tracked. By grouping selected areas across the league, we can begin to understand which

initiatives are trending, successful, and implemented to be used in an analysis for a master

greening plan. The NFL Stadium Sustainability Matrix is a valuable tool to the NFL, mapping all

greening efforts across the league, the first of its kind.

Solar

Solar energy is the energy captured from the sun and is converted into thermal or

electrical energy. According to the Solar Energy Industries Association, “solar energy is the

cleanest and most abundant renewable energy source available, and the U.S. has some of the

richest solar resources in the world” (SEIA, 2016). The energy is harnessed through

photovoltaics, solar heating and cooling, concentrating solar power, and passive solar.

Mechanical and electrical devices convert energy from the sun’s heat and light to be pumped

back through the facility. When sustainability comes to mind, solar is one of the first, cliché

examples. Though, this area is an extremely effective initiative in environmentally friendly

practices. Many teams have bought into effective solar energy solutions across the league.

Most notably, in 2012 Lincoln Financial Field, home of the Philadelphia Eagles,

underwent massive renovations to push the greening opportunity. “The Eagles partnered with

NRG Solar, LLC and together installed 10,000 onsite solar panels and 14 onsite wind turbines.

The goal of this project was to make Lincoln Financial Field the first professional stadium in the

United States capable of generating its electricity onsite” (Henly & Hershkowitz, 2012, 36). The

venue not only accomplished this goal, but created almost 3 megawatts of electricity, creating an

excess of energy. Don Smolinki, president and C.O.O of the Eagles describes the $30 million

investment yield: “In return we entered into a long-term power purchase agreement with NRG at


a rate that grows at a fixed percentage over time. That rate was about the rate we’ve been paying

historically, with a set annual increase year after year. That provides us with the ability to

manage the expense. From a business perspective, the arrangement provides us with some

predictability around the energy expense, which is our largest operating expense for the facility.

That is important because it doesn’t make us subject to the conditions of the marketplace, which

can be tough to manage at times. NRG was also able to take advantage of some federal programs

that promote renewable energy, which also helped with the financials” (Henly and Hershkowitz,

2012, 37). This idea was monumental in the sports industry. To take this idea further, the

organization also implemented smaller energy conservation programs to reduce consumption

rates by more than 33 percent. 100 percent of team operations are powered using clean energy

produced on wind farms. They purchase 14 million kilowatt-hours of renewable energy.

MetLife Stadium also sets the industry standard for environmentally friendly programs.

On June 9, 2009, MetLife Stadium signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that serves

as a commitment to becoming an environmental steward by adopting various programs, in turn

reducing the stadium and organization’s carbon footprint. It did not take long for the industry and

environmental government agencies to take notice – within one year MetLife Stadium was

named the “Greenest Stadium” in the NFL by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and

an “Outstanding Achievement in Recycling” award from the New Jersey Department of

Environmental Protection. A major part of this award came from the solar program. In 2012, just

three years after the MOU, the stadium partnered with NRG Solar, LLC to install Solar Panels

above the catwalk of the stadium, what they coined the “Solar Ring”. The Project highlights

1,350 solar panels joined into 47 modules combing to generate 25 times the power needed to


power the NRG Solar Ring LED Lights. This project has a carbon offset equivalent to 244 acres

of pine forest.

San Francisco 49ers’ Levi’s Stadium features complex LED lighting fixtures powered by

concentrated-use energy systems and solar output. “There are more than 1,000 state-of-the-art

solar elements found throughout the building, including three solar array covered NRG Energy

Bridges, as well as automatic sensors and high-efficiency energy management system”

(Associated Press, 2016). According to David Cooper, president of WSP | Parsons Brinkerhoff,

the engineering firm behind the design of Levi’s Stadium, “LED technology is becoming very

prevalent in sports stadiums and the technology and price point evolved to make it worthwhile”

(Newcomb, 2016).

The league-wide solar sustainability strategy doesn’t end there. “Seattle Seahawks’

CenturyLink Field installed solar panels spanning the area of two football fields atop of the

CenturyLink Field Event Center, generating more than 800,000 kilowatt hours of electricity

annually, meeting 25% of the facilities energy needs with solar power” (CenturyLink Field,

2016).

In an interview with Josh Epstein, Director of Operations for the Washington Redskins,

Josh describes some of the bigger initiatives taken on by the organization: “FedEx Field

promotes sustainability and the importance of environmentally friendly practices a few different

ways. We began with power consumption reduction efforts and moved into an 8,000 solar panel

shaded parking installation with solar energy provider, NRC Solar, Inc. in 2011. We sell back the

power to the power company and credit them for power – the same they charge to us typically”

(Personal Communications, July 2016, Epstein).


Wind

Wind energy is captured through wind turbines, much like propeller blades on a plane,

spinning in air, turning kinetic energy into mechanical power. “These turbines can stand up to 20

stories high and have a propeller that spans the length of a football field, and produce enough

electricity to power 1,400 homes” (Winder Energy Development Programmatic EIS, 2016). The

Philadelphia Eagles and Lincoln Financial Field set the tone for how stadium sustainable systems

operate. The pioneers established their globally known Go Green program alongside the NRDC

in 2003. The changes came small at first, though over a decade later, Lincoln Financial Field

found itself installing on the most extensive renewable systems of any stadium in the United

States in 2012. The installation of wind turbines on the west side of the venue led the way to

great innovation. The Eagles are one of very few teams in profession sports that utilize wind

energy for their greening initiative.

LED Lighting

LED or light-emitting diodes are characterized by Energy Star as “semiconductor devices

that produce visible light when an electrical current passes through them. LEDs are a type of

Solid State Lighting (SSL)” (Energy Star, 2016). LEDs are now being integrated into bulbs and

fixtures to be used at a large-scale facility level as well as across general lighting fittings

throughout the venue. LEDs are considered as directional light sources, emitting light in a

specific direction, unlike its counterparts, fluorescent and halogen bulbs. This gives LEDs the

upper hand in efficiency.

In 2009 MetLife Stadium set new procedures and practices to support their energy

conservation practices. The stadium retrofitted 389 fixtures from metal halide to LED lighting.


This installment was projected to reduce lighting energy consumption by nearly 87 percent and

contributed to a large portion of their overall savings since their initiative start in 2009. Levi’s

Stadium also places a large emphasis on sustainability through stadium lighting. “40% of the

stadium lighting uses LED bulbs, which are expected to reduce the overall energy consumption

of lighting by 15-20%” (Brown, 2014).

Waste Disposal Management

Waste Disposal Management is a complete design for solid waste disposal and recycling

solution from a stadium. Waste pickup, recycling, composting, trash compactors, dumpsters and

even portable toilet rentals fall into this category. Waste disposal management, specifically

recycling is a massive part of the Eagles sustainability initiative at Lincoln Financial Field, riding

along the lines of fan engagement. By taking the approach of leading by example, the initiative

caught like wildfire. The venue created green teams that handed out recycling bags for tailgaters

to use and be left in the parking lots. They also altered the stadium waste management disposal

by converting trash chutes to recycling chutes and using carts to pick up trash. Because of this

change, the venue is now pushing 75 percent waste diversion from landfills, and still climbing.

MetLife stadium shows strong dedication to composting solutions. Along with the food

service provider for the venue, Delaware North Sportservice, together they created a compositing

initiative geared to properly dispose of biodegradable products. In 2014, the stadium composted

261.26 tons of waste” (MetLife Stadium, 2016). The composting bins were set at the concession

areas and pantries of the venue. There is even a post-event separation in the stadium seating bowl

additionally.


CenturyLink Field, along with The Seattle Seahawks and Seattle Sounders Football Club

exhibit a deep connection with positive social change for sustainable programs; unwavering

devotion proves this organization to be leaders in the movement. The greening started with the

Seattle-based company First & Goal, Inc. (FGI), the operating management entity of the venue.

FGI’s assistant manager Darryl Benge founded the Green Sports Alliance in 2010, creating a

relationship that would transpire across the industry. By the 2005-2006 season, many teams

began discussions of their own recycling and composting greening programs across the league.

By 2006 FGI set the first operational recycling program by installing 75 recycling bins across the

venue, educated fans and staff on the power of sustainability, and created a new dedicated area to

track and separate up to 17 different recyclable resources. One year later, FGI installed

equipment for composting, installed 200 recycling bins and a cardboard baler.

NFL Stadium/Transportation Design

Stadium and venue design is an area of sustainability that has increased dramatically in

the last 10 years due to innovative technological advances. This notion pertains to the shape and

structure of the venue and transportation solutions to fit sustainable needs. MetLife Stadium

started its campaign in the stadium design process. They found success in finding reusable, or

recycled materials to build the venue. “40,000 tons of recycled steel was used to build the

stadium and recycled 20,000 tons of steel and 30,000 tons of recyclable concrete from Giants

Stadium when it was demolished. 50 percent of the concrete that was used to backfill the

excavation left behind from the demolition came of the old stadium” (MetLife Stadium, 2016).

During the construction process, all construction vehicles used clean diesel fuel, diesel engine

filters and idling trucks turned off engines in order to reduce air pollution. The consumption of

water in this process was reduced by increasing the efficiency of energy use. Recycled plastics Stadium Sustainable Systems

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were even used for the new seating. In a 2014 report conducted by the EPA, a large reduction in

the carbon footprint was found. Most notable in the report was, "due to its collective, widespread

efforts,” the stadium reduced its carbon footprint by 247,379.4 MTCo2e (Metric Ton Carbon

Dioxide Equivalent)” (Bellina & Poetzsch, 2014). To put this into perspective, this number into

perspective, the reduction is equivalent to the carbon dioxide emissions from 27,836,053 gallons

of gasoline. Commingled recycling increased by 19% from 2011 and the Stadium even expanded

its recycling efforts into the parking lots, providing the necessary trash and recycling bins,

encouraging fan participation.

Levi Stadium was designed with big-money savings in mind while having a positive

effect on fan experience, serving as an environmentally friendly sports-sanctuary. This led the

way to a LEED gold status nod, the second highest level of recognition by LEED, and the award

of hosting Super Bowl 50. The stadium was built with design in mind by HNTB, an architecture

firm. There were many elements strategically planned in this process, particularly the layout of

the suite tower and premium spaces all configured to one side of the stadium. The idea here is a

conservation of energy by scheme while creating opportunities for more efficient operations.

Due to the prevalent public and professional concentration in greening programs in the

Northwest of the United States, environmentally conscious practices were built into the daily

operations of CenturyLink Field long before the first greening programs even existed in

professional sports. Much like MetLife Stadium, in 2000 CenturyLink Field was built by

recycling 97 percent of the concrete locally, 35 percent of that chunk being used in the

construction of CenturyLink Field.


U.S. Bank Stadium The design of the roof of the venue was the first item engineers aimed

to embrace while keep an environmentally conscious mind. John Hutchings, HKS’s sports

principal-in-charge of U.S. Bank Stadium, in an interview speaks about the design of the

building, with its distinctive and asymmetrical, high-pitched roof, which has an important

purpose with respect to sustainability: “The purpose is to shed snow off the roof efficiently into a

giant snow gutter near the roof line that features a heating system to direct the melted snow

through the stadium’s storm water control system. The roof’s ability to shed snow quickly

enabled designers to utilize one central ridge truss and lessen the carbon footprint of the building

by reducing the needed structural steel by an estimated 2,000 tons” (Peters, 2016). Green

innovation is also implemented in the material makeup of the roof. Builders selected ETFE, a

clear, plastic like space-age material, to be used on 60 percent of the roof that ultimately features

many environmentally-friendly benefits. This material is a lighter alternative, helping reduce the

demand for heavier structural steel. The southern facing ETFE portion of the roof will capture

sunlight, propelling thermal heating and a reduction of artificial lighting. This thermal heating is

designed to create a heat reservoir for winter months, pushing warm air to be redistributed by

reversing fans, emitting cooler air in during the warmer months.

U.S. Bank Stadium was built strategically to reduce the transportation carbon footprint

within the community. The area is located at the METRO light rail station, which will serve

multiple lines to and from the venue. It is reported (2015) that the METRO light rail station

served as a connection for more than 1.3 million riders. As well, the Minnesota Vikings

strategically planned for fewer parking spots to be made in the surrounding lots of the stadium,

encouraging fans to take public transportation, walk, or share riding to stadium events. This also

presents a business opportunity for both organizations, naming the station as “U.S. Bank Stadium


Station”. $300,000 will be awarded to Metro Transit in annual in-stadium promotions and

various media outlet coverage to increase ridership to U.S. Bank Stadium events.

Water Conservation

Water efficiency is the reduction of water wastage compiled by measuring both the

amount of water needed and the amount of water used. This system is a staple for Levi’s Stadium

sustainable program. In the design process, the team created a system to intentionally grab run-

off water from all areas of the building and use it for watering he landscape grounds, field, and to

be used for bathroom areas. They also installed artificial turf on the “apron” areas surrounding

the field. Water needs have diminished in the stadium by near 30 percent. In the efforts to

minimize usage of water while cleaning the building, power washers that use more pressure and

less water were invested in.

U.S. Bank Stadium also shows commitment to greening with water conservation. Low-

flow technology has been implemented into the plumbing of the building, reducing the use of

water drastically, almost 37 percent below requirements. With this innovation, the venue saves

roughly five million gallons of water annually. An intricate irrigation system was built for the

landscaping outside U.S. Bank Stadium.

Other Smaller Initiatives

Lincoln Financial Field began its environmentally friendly practices with a few smaller

ideas. After getting the right people behind the initiative, the team prioritized paper reduction

strategies and purchasing recycled paper. They even switched to recycled paper for items as

small as tissue paper. The financial savings from cutting paper allowed the organization to pay

for better paper products made from recycled paper, resulting in 100 percent use of recycled


paper. They even invested in cardboard and aluminum balers. After closely tracking the progress

of these changes, the organization decided to implement other smaller programs. This took

complete collaboration with partners such as ARAMARK was well. Going further roughly 37

percent of cleaning chemicals used throughout Lincoln Financial Field came from green product

lines. Water use has been cut by just over 20 percent using increased monitoring methods.

Lastly, any request for proposal for special events at the venue decrees vendors use green-

certified materials as standards. The success of this initiative is rooted from smaller

implementations.

Many of these systems are in place at Levi’s Stadium. “These include clustering premier

seating, paperless ticketing, waste management efficiency, and even a 27,000 square foot green

garden on the roof of the building. For transportation, the stadium is located on a sustainable site

with access to public transportation and a bike path to reduce the greenhouse gas portion of the

carbon footprint” (Levi’s Stadium, 2016). Transportation is a major area where teams work

together and use initiatives by other stadiums to reduce the community’s carbon footprint, along

with their own. The metrics documented by Levi’s Stadium, NRG, Inc., and LEED show much

success in the sustainable effort: 67 percent of consumer goods are recycled, while 87 percent of

durable goods are recycled. They operate at 34 percent below the energy demand of a venue

that’s the same size, saving $1 million in energy costs.

The formation of the “Green Team” serves as the second biggest key factor in kick-

starting green initiatives in Seattle professional sports. “The green team was made up of FGI and

Seahawks staff, vendors and contractors who sought out developing long term policies and

initiatives to reduce energy and resource consumption. The Green Team met on a quarterly basis

to discuss all initiatives with representatives from all FGI departments, the Seattle Seahawks Stadium Sustainable Systems

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(and Sounders in 2009) and key partners such as ARAMARK and Levy Restaurants” (Henly &

Hershkowitz, 2012).

Smaller initiatives followed the formation of the Green Team across different areas green

elements, along with a new partnership with McKinstry, a design, build, operate, and maintain

firm. In 2011, FGI committed to beginning to use green cleaning supplies in the venue. They

chose to use Green-Seal certified products and begin monitoring paper consumption data. Soon

after, FGO purchased 100 perfect recycled plastic trash liners and recycled paper for the offices

and bathrooms. This ultimately contributed to a 23% increase in recycled waste. Along with the

recycling program, FGI began to donate all unused prepared food to organizations such as Food

Lifeline and Operation Sack Lunch, initiatives driven to tackle hunger in the community.

Summary of Key Issues

Issues pertaining to current NFL stadium programs can be seen through the creation of

the NFL Team Stadium Sustainability Matrix. Although 11 stadiums fall into the successful

category of 5 or more total systems, 19 stadiums (excluding Los Angeles) combine for four or

fewer. Through the gaps in this matrix, the lack of significant contribution in many categories,

including solar and wind sustainability is evident. Water conservation, energy conservation, and

NFL stadium/ transportation design are sparse through 58 percent of the league. Finally, there are

six organizations that only implement one system, Tennessee not showing any efforts in greening

at all. In essence, 60 percent of the NFL exhibit minimal effort towards stadium sustainability

practices. Age of stadiums, conservative executives, financial constraints and even complex high

safety standards could all attribute to this concept.

Thesis Statement/Research Questions


Sports organizations globally are adopting environmental practices for a number of

reasons. The process of greening not only provides an opportunity for improvement

operationally, but it is cost-effective. Furthermore, it creates unique cultural and economic

influence to use these models throughout the business sector creating an educational experience

on how to be great environmental stewards. Advancing the collective effort towards

sustainability in facilities across sports the National Football League can be achieved through

design, innovative technology and implementation of sustainable system while addressing the

need to achieve a maximum triple bottom line.

Master Design Plan

The creation of a master plan of best practices for professional sports venue serves as a

solution to help teams implement sustainable systems into their organizations. The first step to

this process (See Appendix for Figure 4) is evaluating the organization as a whole based on a set

of criteria such as if the venue is standing or in the creation stage, the geographical climate,

financial budgeting and other operational factors. The potential for business partnerships must

also be considered. As drivers for social trends, corporate social responsibility practices affect

the thoughts and beliefs of consumers, ultimately driving consumption. This, in turn could bring

massive business between organizations and environmental businesses.

For the majority of this market, which is currently standing stadiums, you must first

assess what programs are currently in use. Though, based on the information taken from the NFL

Stadium Sustainability Matrix, the best practice to begin with would be to build a solid

foundation, this being recycling and waste management systems as well as power consumption

reduction methods such as water and energy conservation. In 2013 a sports sustainability trade

journal released an article that featured a panel or engineers discussing energy efficiency


programs in sports venues. Kevin Lewis, LEED certified professional in design and construction

and Vice President of Henderson engineers sees different systems in stadiums helping improve

efficiency: “For arenas with large occupancies, we specify units with CO2 sensors, energy

recovery systems, and enthalpy economizers where it makes sense. For stadium suites, we have

integrated variable refrigerant flow (VFL) technologies that provide very efficient condensing

units to reduce consumption. We also tried to reduce the lighting wattage below ASHRAE

minimums as well as incorporate low-flow fixtures as much as possible to keep water usage at a

minimum” (Cooper et al, 2013). Building upon this, fan engagement along the lines of smaller

marketing initiatives will help drive the demand for change. Most of these systems are dependent

on fan activity. Finally, the organization must move into the higher levels of sustainability,

implementing LED lighting, solar panels, and wind energy turbines, depending on evaluation of

the organization. LEED certification must be the end goal for these greening methods. These

implementations may take more time to show immediate impacts, but should be implemented

over a space of three to nine years, depending on size and financial commitment to the system.

For stadiums in the concept process, the foundation must be built upon stadium and

transportation design. In design, many of these systems can be created interconnectivity, much

like U.S. Bank Stadium’s. Water and energy conservation methods fall into this system. Building

upon this, LED lighting must be installed to further reduce energy consumption, as well as solar

and wind programs. From the stadium matrix, these categories all seem to lack: 40 percent of

venues have LED lighting, 33 percent have solar, and only six percent hold wind systems. Power

consumption reduction and its relation to utilities charges is a driver for the Washington

Redskin’s “winterizing” protocol. “Electricity is expensive - utilities make up 30 to 40 percent of

our annual budget. We do whatever we can to winterize the venue when we aren’t using it. That


is the issue with Northeastern stadiums – because of the weather; we must do things like drain

water out of all the bathrooms, all the piping so it doesn’t freeze. We can make money back

through computerized operational stadium management, making sure these things are done”

(Personal Communication, July 2016, Epstein).

Much like MetLife Stadium’s construction plan, it is recommended to use similar green

construction methods. Once the stadium has structure, organizations must implement waste

management programs, ultimately resulting in LEED building certification. These systems

should take anywhere from two to five years to implement, including construction time, based on

how fast each criteria is fixed and how large the initiative is. LEED certification ought to be

accomplished within the first four or five years after an accumulation of points. These

recommendations will increase the bottom line, or profit portion alongside respect to planet of

the triple bottom line, which both play a large role in the business plan.

A few NFL sources could help fund the initiative at all NFL stadiums. This would come

at the cost of the NFL joining the Green Sports Alliance, which ironically is the only major

American professional sports league to not be included in. Roger Goodell, the NFL

commissioner commented on the first Green Sports Alliance summit held in August 2011 in

Portland, Oregon: “The NFL is proud to support the greening efforts of the Seattle Seahawks…

Enhancing the sustainability of professional sports is a worthy goal, and we wish the Green

Sports Alliance great success” (Wilner, 2011). Why would the NFL solely support an

organization, casting as an outlier, even if the founding member of the GSA is a NFL team

executive?

Social Media/PR for Master Plan


Social media will play a key role in the fan engagement portion of the master plan.

Organizations can take full advantage of real-time public relations, announcing new innovative

ideas to be featured through stadiums. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat are all

excellent sources to announce different initiatives, system installments and even marketing

platforms. Awareness is a key element when introducing new, creative ideas to consumers.

Video presentations explaining innovative ideas implemented into the stadium system would

increase popularity, forming new marketing initiatives to help create on the fan engagement

front. These platforms should be rolled out across social media in real time, as the projects are

completed and ready to be unveiled. A commitment to people through fan engagement will

round off the success of meeting the triple bottom line.

Social media must also be used to promote changes in mass transit. To promote

sustainable mass transit, endorse ride sharing, increase the price of parking, provide electric car

charging ports, or even offer proper bike securing areas. This all should be emulated through the

stadium’s green building marketing initiative, explained by social media posts.

Analysis

There is great strength to the master plan of best practices. The systems recommended are

strategically placed to build upon the foundation set. This foundation is specific to the type of

venue being addressed, standing or new. There is a lack of effort in recycling and waste

management, water conservation and energy conservation throughout the league, so starting with

these areas and building upon those initiatives is recommended. Waste management, water and

energy conservation all are cost-effective, easily adaptable sustainable solutions. For new

stadiums, stadium and transportation design is the most important first step to stadium

sustainability. Energy and water conservation can be achieved through the structural makeup,


scheme, and operational systems of a stadium. Computerized operational management systems

control, monitor, and record energy use must be considered for both standing and new stadium

programs.

Implementation, depending on the initiative can be costly at first, and the actual programs

set-up can serve as a weakness, due to mass amounts of planning. It also takes an entire

organization to get on board with these initiatives, which can require many meetings education

on the topic. The costs of new stadiums are currently extremely high, causing the programs to

result in large bills: “With construction costs that reach over $1 billion, facilities’ monthly utility

bills can exceed $200,000 with annual consumption at over 23 million kilowatts” (Waste

Management, 2016). Technological and design advances not matching those currently installed

in stadiums, making it a pain to deal with.

Opportunities come with greening programs in professional sports. While many stadiums

may be old, this urges organizations to renovate or rebuild, including green systems. LEED

green building recognition can come from any successful program. Partnership opportunities

provide this plan a lucrative incentive. U.S. Bank Stadium penned a $300,000 partnership with

METRO transit for naming rights of the stadium station as well as in-stadium assets.

Stadium operations and construction can pose as competitors to any system initiation. As

well, executives in the industry are cautiously conservative towards sustainable efforts. There are

complex safety standards associated with implementation of any engineered structure,

specifically stadiums. The number one priority to any sports organization is the fans and their

safety.

Financial Considerations


Expansion into the sustainability market for professional sports teams is extremely

retaining. Review of HRM contributors Gunjan Mathur and Deepali Dabas see sustainability

guiding the path for all innovations in the sports industry. “May executives have a belief that

sustainability is a burden on bottom line but apparently it seems that becoming environmentally

friendly lowers the costs and increases revenue…sustainability is a key driver to innovation

wherein becoming a key for business success” (Marthur & Dabas, 2014).

The cost green programs are dependent on the type of initiative and installment, among

other parameters. Solar panels cost comes at a scale of systems that are larger than 10 kilowatts.

“According to a study by the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), the average consist of

installed PV in the first quarter of 2013 was $2.92 per watt” (BEF, 2016) Prices can be lower

when solar panels are bought in volume. Pricing also is determined by the structure the panels

would be installed on. A three megawatt system would cost a stadium $8.76 million minimum,

before installation costs. Wind turbines are charged by the wattage as well. A 100 kilowatt wind

turbine can cost $350,000 per turbine. Using this metric, the 14 wind turbines at Lincoln

Financial Field cost approximately $4.9 million before installation. Though, many smaller

initiatives are extremely cost effective and can be paid for through partnership opportunities,

much like the Philadelphia Eagle’s relationship with NRG.

Lincoln Financial Field’s partnership with NRG shows how even high-cost installments

can be managed. NRG Solar, Inc. entered a relationship with the Philadelphia Eagles, providing

11,000 solar panels and 14 wind turbines at a cost of $30 million. Though, NRG provided the

installments up front, in return entering a long-term power purchase agreement that grows at an

annually increasing fixed percentage. “The power purchase agreement has guaranteed the team

annual price increases that are well below predicted utility rate hike. Over the 20-year agreement,


the Eagles anticipate saving millions. For its part, NRG has a guaranteed 20-year revenue stream,

and whenever the energy generated at the stadium exceeds the Eagles’ needs, NRG can sell the

excess back to the grid” (Wharton, University of Pennsylvania, 2013).” This initiative is geared

to save the organization $60 million over 20 years, or annual savings of $3 million.

According to practices defined by different organizations across the NFL, there are many

areas by which savings are notable. An EPA environmental assessment MOU annual report of

MetLife Stadium was conducted in May of 2015 by EPA engineer Michael Poetzsch, the ninth

update documenting green initiatives. “Due to their progressive greening efforts, the

organizations has managed to reduce its carbon footprint by 247,379 MTCO2e and saved an

estimated $23.5 million in operating expenses” (Poetzsch, 2015). This is equivalent to $3.35

million in savings annually since the signing of the MOU by MetLife Stadium in 2009. This

number has resulted purely from reducing energy, water and solid waste production across their

entire operations. In a breakdown (See Appendix for Figure 3) of environmental metrics and cost

savings estimate published in the same report, the three highest savings came from mass transit

($10,325,081), green procurement ($8,272,940) and energy conservation ($3,698,614).

Currently, there are 30 active stadiums across the country, and 60% of those stadiums

show minimal effort towards sustainable practices. If the NFL were to adopt the necessary

practices recommended in the master plan created, there are massive savings to be seen.

According to the savings metrics of stadium sustainable programs using the top venue examples,

$3 million can be saved per team every year. The NFL could see league-wide potential savings

of $90 million to $100 million annually.

Measurement/Objectives


Data collection and analysis will help propel these programs forward. By retaining

financial and operational information on the acceptance, promotion, financial effect, and

communal benefit, organizations can determine which plans should be expanded upon.

The measurement for these systems should align with the stadiums commitment to the

triple bottom line. The triple bottom line, while including the bottom line, mainly profits, also

pays respect to people and the planet. Stadiums have an ethical obligation eliminating potentially

environmentally harmful practices, keeping the community in mind. The obligation to keeping

our planet green without causing harm to its ecosystems and environment will propel any

sustainable green building system with a good triple bottom line. It is important to keep in mind

that these programs can come costly, depending on the size and consideration of the system;

though data collected over the past 7 years show the pay-off to be not only cost-effective, but

potentially profitable.

An objected that should be set by any green system implementation at a stadium should

be the achievement of LEED green building certification by the USGBC. LEED certification

would credit the stadium with success in the planned sustainable system. This accomplishment

could potentially drive interest in fan consumption, partnerships with business that place an

emphasis on sustainable programs, and further recognition from public relations. This

recognition would be a best-case scenario for any business.

Conclusion

The solution to creating a successful stadium sustainability system begins with proper

planning pertaining to the current progress of the stadium. This should lead to the creation of a

“Sports Green Initiative Consulting Business”. This business would consult any stadium or

sports facility in need of implementation. It would work in partnership with the NRDC, Green


Sports Alliance, and U.S. Green Building Council. In due course, this organization would help

organize programs that would result in a USGBC LEED certification after completed success of

the program implemented.

Depending on the initiative, it is important to recognize that these systems may take some

time and money to establish. The consulting business would help ease the transition and provide

the proper strategy guidance to the organizations that should be partnered with to carry out the

programs. It will also take the industry trends and apply to the venue defending on a set of

criteria by which what the organization’s goals are, arena design, energy providers, and financial

considerations.

The Sports Green Initiative Consulting Business will align its work with the future

sustainability and reporting trends defined in the 2015 Global Reporting Initiative analysis

report. According to this analysis, there are a number of reporting trends interviewees see as the

future to promote organization transparency, alignment with values, and suitability growth.

“Sustainability related to disclosure and reporting should demonstrate proactive commitment

towards sustainable economic development. Reporting will focus on the abilities of companies to

create value for business and society. Reporting will be digital and almost real-time. There will

be an integration of financial and sustainability value creation and an integration of a companies

reporting with that of the suppliers and even peers that are committed to the same regional

development goals” (Global Reporting Initiative, 2015).

The formation of a consulting firm with an expertise in this field would surely benefit

organizations and their venues across the NFL. “We would want to use a service like that to help

our bottom line…there is a PR aspect to greening, along with fan experience, but if there is a

way to enhance the organization economically and measure the cost/benefit analysis through


sustainable efforts, that would be a mechanism we are interested in” (Personal Communication,

July 2016, Epstein).

This proposed Sports Green Initiative Consulting Business would be a monumental

organization working towards higher regulated sustainable practices. Mark Gutierrez, chief

executive officer of NRG describes the importance of contributing to green programs and

sustainability in NRG’s 2015 Sustainability Report. “I am constantly reminded of the importance

of what we do and the great responsibility we have to think not just about the impacts of our

business today, but also how those impacts will affect tomorrow. I invite you – colleagues,

investors, customers, partners and all consumers of electricity – to join us in this journey towards

creating an energy future that is cleaner, more reliable and that enables us to continue improving

people’s lives for years to come” (NRG, 2015). By analyzing industry trends, it can create an

effective best-practices strategy for venues to use, a potential of $100 million in savings annually

across the NFL collectively. Therefore, advancing the collective effort towards sustainability in

facilities across the National Football League can be achieved through design, innovative

technology and implementation of sustainable system while addressing the need to achieve a

maximum triple bottom line.


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Appendix

22,000 heat records were broken across the United States in the first six months of 2012

The year 2015 was by far the warmest year in the global record

In the last year, 29,152 daily high max temperatures were broken in the United States

alone

From June 7, 2016 to July 7, 2016, out of approximately 100,000 potential “stations”, or

the complete daily weather records at a particular location in the United States, 658

stations saw record tying temperatures, while 1,281 stations record breaking

temperatures. The highest record broken was found in El Cajon, California on June 20,

2016 at 107° F, 13 degrees higher than the previous record set in 2007

Figure 1:

ELEMENTS OF AN EFFECTIVE GREEN SPORTS PROGRAM Establish an internal Green Team leader supported by interested staff from top to bottom

of your organization, and engage leadership as early as possible Engage your operational partners, vendors and community experts Set regular meetings for all stakeholders Get a facility-wide audit to track waste generation and your use of energy, water and

paper and monitor data carefully Identify resources available nationally and locally (both free and for higher) Learn from peers’ green initiatives Write a green mission statement and set goals Make a list of greening ideas, both short term and long term. Prioritize initiatives on the

basis of return-on-investment, ecological urgency, feasibility, sponsor support and fan interest

Develop a flexible implementation plan Establish a tracking system for measuring savings, progress and setbacks After implementing your plan, translate successes into easily understandable sound-bites

for staff, fans, sponsors and for other stakeholders

The NFL Stadium Sustainability Matrix maps the different areas by which stadiums take part in suitability practices collectively. In using this matrix, we can see where improvements are needed, as 60 percent of the league shows insufficient effort towards greening programs.

NFL Team Stadium Sustainability Matrix


Figure 2:


STRENGTHS Business Opportunity Cost Effective High productivity

WEAKNESSES Implementation Takes Time Stadium Age

OPPORTUNITIES New stadium design LEED recognition Partnership opportunities

THREATS Competing Stadiums Conservative Executives Complex safety standards

Figure 3:

ENVIRONMENTAL METRICS COSTS SAVINGS (EST.)Energy Conservation $3,698,614Alternative Energy $131,565Water Conservation $308,813Solid Waste Recycling $611,847Green Procurement $8,272,940Green Landscaping $60,335Electronics Recycling $153Mass Transit $10,325,081Transportation $140,000TOTAL $23,549,348

Figure 4:

:

U.S. Bank Stadium & Mercedes-Benz Stadium Information


LEED

Solar, Wind

LED Lighting

Fan Engagement

Recycling/Waste Management, Water & Energy Conservation

LEED

Waste Manageme

nt

Solar, Wind

LED

Stadium/Transportation Design

STANDING NEW

Currently, there are two venues in development, U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis,

Minnesota and Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia, with the exception of the new Lost

Angeles Rams stadium that is still in the concept stage. This three stadiums are geared to not

only foster the most successful sustainable systems in all of professional sports, but will serve as

an example for how stadiums should employ green opportunities. The key issue assessed by the

venues was finding a sustainable system that compiles all methods into one solution

Mercedes-Benz Stadium, along with U.S. Bank Stadium, will help set the standard for

incorporating the most advanced sustainable systems relating to the design, construction and

operations. Much like the design of Minnesota’s stadium, we can find an emphasis in similar

areas. Water conservation comes at a large emphasis for this stadium design. It is anticipated that

there will be achievement in all LEED water related acknowledgments, which would be a first

for any professional sports venue. The stadium design includes an intricate rainwater-collection

system geared to capture and redistribute to use. Water use efficiency will be accomplished

through similar plumbing installations.

Renewable energy and the reduction of energy usage are areas the Atlanta Falcons and

Mercedes-Benz Stadium will include in the greening campaign. Solar PV panels are being

installed on the building and at the close-by Georgia World Congress Center. Furthermore, the

venue plans on an installation of electric vehicle charging stations in parking lots. The stadium

possessing a retractable roof will provide opportunities to use natural light and air from outside

the stadium, reducing energy usage. LED lights are planned to reduce energy usage by 50

percent. The building also includes a control system for managing the consumption of energy,

monitoring lighting, heating and cooling, and the installed LED fixtures.


The venue features alternative transit to keep environmentally friendly transportation

practices. “The Mercedes-Benz Stadium site provides excellent transit access for patron use, with

three MARTA rail line stations within .7 miles or less of the building. The new stadium property

layout also encourages use of bicycle and alternative fuel vehicle usage through direct

connection to the Atlanta Bike Trail Network and the availability of electric vehicle charging

stations. In addition, pedestrian-friendly walking paths allow for easy connectivity between the

communities on the west side of the stadium and the downtown area to the east.” (Mercedes-

Benz Stadium, 2016).

U.S. Bank Mercedes-Benz

Solar SolarWind Wind

LED LED

Waste Management Waste Management

Water Conservation Water Conservation

Energy Conservation Energy Conservation

NFL Stadium Design NFL Stadium Design


8-2-16 - final - capstone paper - benjamin c. karr

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