The New York Jets
Green in Color and in Deed
Leisure Lifestyle Organizations and EventsPublished October 7, 2010 at 9:23 pm 1 Comment
As so many of you already know, The Green Connoisseur LOVES football. Though we each have our favorite team, we will watch anyone that is playing! From community based middle school games to front-runners for the Super Bowl, we are all over it. In addition, we watch the statistics. As the owners of at least two individual Fantasy teams each, we keep track of the individual player stats too. With such a passion for football, I’m sure you can imagine how excited we get when we see an environmentally friendly initiative in the NFL. That brings me to the New York Jets.
The New York Jets moved into the brand new stadium they share with the Giants, this season. Though it was expected, The New Meadowlands Stadium fell just shy of U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification. According to principals with 360 Architecture, the Kansas City firm that designed the venue, an early decision not to pursue LEED certification came with the open-air stadium that would have required installation of heavy-duty, insulated windows in the 200 luxury suites. The mullions used to put a tighter seal around those windows would have obstructed the field view, said Alice McGillion, a spokeswoman for the joint venture. “The joint venture … went with less-insulated glass,” McGillion said. “Once that decision is made, you can’t get LEED certification.”
The Jet’s Eco-Friendly Initiatives
Despite the decision to use a less-insulated glass, the joint venture decided to incorporate as many eco-friendly design elements as possible, in lieu of LEED, said 360’s Anton Foss
- The stadium is on a brownfield site in the New Jersey Meadowlands.
- 60,000 tons of recycled steel, including some from old Giants Stadium, was used.
- Recycled plastic and scrap iron was used to manufacture the seats.
- A new rail service was built, that takes fans to and from the stadium, thus cutting down on traffic emissions.
- Waterless urinals were installed in all the men’s facilities.
The Jet’s Agenda at Home
This past summer, The New York Jets entered into a partnership with Yingli Solar to place solar panels on their home base in New Jersey. Yingli Solar installed more than 3,000 solar panels at the New York Jet’s team’s HQ and training facility in Florham Park, NJ. The new installation will provide 750,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity to the facility each year, as well as reduce CO2 emissions by 540 metric tons. Installed in June, the installation began providing power for the Jets just eight weeks later. The anticipated financial benefit to the franchise should approach tens of thousands of dollars annually.
“The New York Jets are excited to be at the forefront of incorporating solar energy into the NFL. When we decided to add solar energy to the Atlantic Health Training Center, going green was the catalyst,” said Thad Sheely, New York Jets’ Executive Vice President of Finance and Stadium Development. “This project is the first of many green initiatives on behalf of the team, and we are proud to be green in color and also in deed. We chose the right partners and are thrilled about what this installation will do for our organization, our community, and hopefully for inspiring the entire league.”
The new solar set-up is largest of its kind amongst the 32 NFL teams.
The Jet’s Community Agenda
The New York Jets are serious about stepping up to the line of scrimmage in their community, as well. Over the past nine years, the Jets and their charitable foundation have raised or contributed more than $9 million to promote youth health, fitness and education; particularly in disadvantaged communities.
From fighting childhood obesity through the Generation Jets: Be Lean & Green initiative to launching a football team in an urban high school, urging students to eat right and move more, and supporting the efforts of the Alliance for Lupus Research, the New York Jets invest in programs that make a difference in the lives of others. In addition to the Jets Foundation, which supports extensive youth initiatives, the Jets partner with numerous established charitable organizations and participate in causes sponsored by the NFL.
Now I know we are passionate about our NFL favorites, but if that isn’t enough to entice the eco-conscious football fan to support the New York Jets, I don’t know what is. Did you hear that NFL? It’s not enough to just recycle anymore. It’s time to step up your game!
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