From 2006 to 2009, the team was able to reduce their natural gas usage by 60 percent, their electricity by 30 percent and their water use by 15 percent. Then, last year the team adopted an aggressive recycling program to limit their waste. By the end of the year using these green initiatives the Mariners had reduced the amount of trash that they were sending to landfills by 70 percent, saving the team an incredible half million dollars a year. Earlier this month, the team actually skipped their bobblehead give-away and instead launched a compost bag fan giveaway which provided game goers with a way to take part in the eco-movement at home using things discarded at past Mariners’ games.

If one team can enjoy such environmental and economic success, why hasn’t impact evaluation turned into an eco-phenomenon? Recent events instill some hope.

The Green Sports Alliance

While the Mariners have been taking eco-friendly steps for years, a new collaboration could provide the team, and others like them, a better vehicle to measure and share their progress. The Green Sports Alliance is a non-profit formed by six professional teams in the Pacific Northwest: The Vancouver Canucks (NHL), the Seattle Storm (WNBA), the Seattle Mariners (MLB), the Seattle Seahawks (NFL), the Portland Trail Blazers (NBA) and the Seattle Sounders FC (MLS).

This type of collaboration is the first time that so many professional sports leagues have collaborated on any type of environmental agenda. The Green Sports Alliance aims to utilize the popularity and influence of professional sports to bring the green message to sports fans everywhere by engaging and inspiring fans in a new way.

The Alliance enjoys a strong backing from each of the teams’ commissioners as well as the support of the National Resources Defence Council (NRDC) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

The Impact

At the Alliance kick-off, members discussed city transportation issues and how people commute to events as well as their aspirations to eventually filter the eco-karma along to collegiate, high school and club sports leagues. The Alliance hopes to provide a reliable structure to help professional sports teams reduce their environmental impact. Some of the steps that have been discussed include:

• Exerting pressure on concessionaires and manufacturers to yield significant and immediate improvements
• Replacing cups and plates with compostable versions
• Removing some trash cans at venues and replacing them with recycling bins
• Performing energy audits at stadiums
• Encouraging the use of renewable energy at sports facilities
• Installing water efficient fixtures and water conserving measures
• Promoting the professional players as “Eco Warriors” who can demand equipment that is eco-certified

Looking forward, a Green Sports Summit, which is scheduled to take place in August, plans to further educate sports leaders on how they can take steps that will improve their environmental impact and maybe even their bottom line.

Image credit: Green Sports Alliance

Now that the baseball season is here, you gotta have the look. But are there eco-friendly options for watching the game in style and supporting your favorite team? You better believe it. Just take a gander at this sustainable fan gear!

The Nike Cooperstown Track Jacket is perfect for chilly, early season games. The full zip provides ventilation when the heat is on, and the hidden mp3 player pocket allows for tunes anywhere. This 100% recycled polyester jacket is lightweight and has a super comfortable rib-knit waist, collar and cuffs. You can find a similarly sustainable treat in Nike’s Ladies Outta the Park Jacket.

Another great spring choice is a stylish organic hoody. Nike’s Vintage hoody shows off distressed hem detailing and vintage lettering over subtle stripes for a classic look. This midweight full-zip is made from 100% organic cotton, helping your statement extend beyond the styling. Quality embroidery and a french terry lining are nice touches, with even a headphone cord loop by the hood and a cord outlet inside the pocket to help you check on scores around the league.

When you need to look your best, you can never go wrong with a classic polo. The lightweight Alliance Polo from Cutter & Buck is a perfect way to show your support and keep your professional edge, with high quality embroidery and team color accents and piping. Made from 95% organic cotton and 5% spandex for fit, this polo feels great against your skin. Also check out the Ladies Alliance Polo for many of your favorite teams.

When things get a little warmer, show your team spirit with a 100% organic cotton t-shirt by Nike. Available in a popular vintage style with distressed screen print graphics. This soft tee is bound to be a crowd pleaser with its rib-knit collar and sewn-on Nike tag. Also available in Ladies.

And to keep you organized it’s all about the tote. Whether you’re tailgating or walking around town this eco-friendly bag is made from 100% organic cotton, and super sturdy so that you can use it over and over, and avoid all that plastic bag waste. The large embroidered logos help you show your loyalties and the two carry handles and locker loop made it easy to bring along.

The wait is almost over. The start of baseball season is just days away! It is encouraging to see that teams all around the country have been stepping up the plate and working to implement more environmentally friendly strategies into their stadiums and operations.

In 2008, the Boston Red Sox became the first MLB team to utilize solar thermal energy at their stadium. The solar thermal panels provide 37% of the gas needed to heat their water. The panels have also been helping the Sox avoid 18 tons of CO2 emissions every year since. The Red Sox have also created a “Green Team” which is comprised of volunteers who work during the games, collecting recyclable materials and educating fans about the importance of recycling. The “Green Team” is made up mostly of local college students who get to watch the games for free; not a bad deal.

In 2008, the Washington Nationals constructed the first green professional stadium in the U.S. The building is LEED-silver certified and uses 15% less energy than the old RFK Stadium. In the construction alone, 5,500 tons of construction waste were recycled. This year, the new Minnesota Twins’ Target Field is heading for its own LEED-gold certification. This is made possible in part by the Twins’ rainwater recycling system that reduces the stadiums need for municipal water by 50% and saves over 2 million gallons of water each year.

This season, several teams are out to make a statement during the games. On April 17th the Cleveland Indians will be giving out recycled hats made from plastic bottles. And on Earth Day, the Cincinnati Reds will offset their carbon emissions, while event staff don new uniforms also made from recycled plastic bottles.

In New York, the Giants have switched over to a more eco-friendly laundry detergent. The green detergent is botanically-based and phosphate-free, which could really add up if you think about their laundry piles. The Giants are also the first team to incorporate solar energy panels that give back up to 120 kilowatts of energy to the local grid. The Giants have also replaced hundreds of bulbs with more efficient florescent ones, implemented an irrigation clock, and started an aggressive recycling program which saved them $100,000 in garbage disposal fees last year alone. Not too far away, the New York Yankees’ stadium was constructed with recycled coal combustion products instead of new cement, and 95% of the steel used in the building is recycled. However, like many others across the nation, the two New York stadiums together use 20 megawatts at peak power which is over 20,000 homes worth, and double what the old stadiums were capable of using. It’s not perfect, but at least it’s a start.

(Image: Bailey, Untitled (Baseball Plant), 2009)

You may have noticed that many companies now, are coming out with a Baseball Bat made from Bamboo. And I think that they might be catching on to something. First and foremost, Bamboo is an incredibly renewable resource. In fact, bamboo is the fastest growing woody plant in the world, shooting up as much as 1 meter a day; 1/3 faster than the fastest growing tree. Aside from it’s environmentally friendly sustainability, bamboo has some other surprising properties that actually make it an ideal material for baseball bats.

Bamboo as a material is incredibly strong, and durable. It is on average harder than maple wood, and has a greater tensile strength than steel! This makes bats made from bamboo much more shatter resistant and therefore safer than the wood competition. Bamboo can also be safer for Little League play, because although bamboo bats are fairly light weight, they will not take flight when released like aluminum bats can. In addition, there has been some controversy lately questioning the safety of aluminum bats in High School and College play, as a ball hit off of an aluminum bat typically has more speed than a ball hit off of a wood or bamboo bat, which can injure pitchers and infielders. Some high school leagues have already outlawed aluminum bats all together.

Many baseball players have begun to use bamboo bats in both practice and play. Other than the financial incentives of not having to constantly replace shattered bats, bamboo bats give immediate feedback on poor swings and can insure correct mechanics which is great for training, unlike aluminum bats. Unfortunately, bamboo bats are not currently allowed in Major League Baseball games. The MLB rules state that a bat, “shall be made from one piece of solid wood”. Bamboo bats violate this rule because they are manufactured by laminating several layers of bamboo together.

One of several companies that is making some great products is BamBooBat. They use a propriety mix of bamboo varieties to create incredibly strong bats that are lightweight and have great pop. Bombard offers bats of varying degrees with warranties of 30 days, 100 days, and even 1 year. They also offer a variety of styles such as, adult, youth, softball, and training. Their Adult bats are BESR certified for high school and college play, while the softball bats are ASA approved, and youth bats are Little League approved. The BamBooBat bats look amazing with a high-gloss finish and a wide selection of colors to match preferences or team uniforms. Personally, I think that the MLB is missing out on some serious good green stuff.

Check out what BamBooBat has to offer.

This Father’s Day, why not give dad an extra special gift he is sure to love that is environmentally friendly too?   Dad’s friends and coworkers will be “green” with envy when they spot his quality made, handcrafted Father’s Day gift.  Perfect for that hard-to-buy for father or for the man who has everything, dear old dad is sure to cherish these unique eco-friendly cufflinks for many years to come.

The good folks at eco-artware have assembled a collection of brilliant reused materials that not only make for great style, but also for great conversation.  Their collection includes links made from:

Typewriter Keys
These totally unique and awesome cuff links are must-haves for dads who are journalists, writers or office managers.   The cufflinks are handmade from honest-to-goodness manual typewriter keys that those of us of a “certain” age, used to type on!  You know the ones – bulky, black machines that used ribbons and didn’t need electricity!  The cuff links come in white, black or a combination of both colors.  Designs include “back space”, “shift key” and more, depending on availability.   These particular cuff links are ¾ inch in diameter and retail for $38 a set.

Motherboards
If dad is programmer, gadget lover or computer geek, he’ll flip over this set of cuff links!   Designed by Ward Wallau, the Motherboard Cuff Links are actual recycled motherboard chips, set in lovely sterling silver findings.  The cuff links measure ¾ in diameter and retail for $128 a pair.

Stadium Seats
Is dad a baseball fan?  Is he still waiting for the Cubbies to clench that elusive title?  Well, hang onto your catcher’s mitt; dad can now own a piece of baseball history with these totally awesome Stadium Cuff Links.  Crafted from recycled wooden stadium seats from well-known American ballparks, these beautiful diamond-shaped links are set in sterling silver and come with a certificate of authenticity.   The hard part is deciding which set to get; New York’s Yankee Stadium, Chicago’s Wrigley Field or the RFK Stadium.   There are two available color choices as well.  The “natural wood” color from the stadium chair’s core or the painted color from the chairs outer surface.

All the Stadium Cuffs measure 5/8 inches each side and retail for $150 a pair.  And each set is engraved with the name of the stadium on the back side.  Please note that actual texture and color may vary.

Fountain Pen Nibs
Pen collector Milan Micich designed these beautiful cuff links out of recycled pen nibs.  The Esterbrook nibs, from the 40s and 50s, are set in sterling silver findings and mounted on a gold-plated silver base. The nibs are 1 inch long and retail for $125.

Other designs are made from dice, wine barrels, watch innards, scrapped Boeing 707 wings and Scrabble tiles.  So no matter what dad’s into, you won’t be handcuffed into choosing a pair he won’t dig completely! (guffaw)

The Radar Pitching Trainer (RPT) is a sophisticated high-tech upgrade to the old-school throwback we all had in our backyards as kids.  After all, baseball stats and other training techniques have gone scientific so why not drag the throwback into the 21st century.

The trainer calculates pitch speed, keeps track of pitch-count, strikeouts and walks, and is made for both baseball and softball pitchers.  Ball speed is calculated by the Radar Pitching Trainer’s sonic radar, while other stats are calculated by proprietary software in an “electronic umpire” – so it’s a bit like John Hirschbeck and Hal from 2001 had a baby that sits in a removable plastic box that’s attached to the back of the trainer’s steel frame.  Thankfully, there’s no creepy voice or attitude with the RPT.

John Barletta, a principle with the company developing the Radar Pitching Trainer, asked me to give the trainer a test-drive.   I pitched in college and for a time in the minors, and he John wanted to hear my ‘professional’ opinion – so I threw several simulated innings against the umpire-borg.

The trainer is great fun and I could immediately see where it would help a pitcher hone his knowledge of the strike zone. Not only could I see the difference in speed from my fastball, slider, split-finger and change, but the trainer helped me really focus location too.  Not long after I gave it some testing the Radar Pitching Trainer picked up a Best of Show award at the 2009 American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) Convention in San Diego.

Pitching is all about repitition, and while I played at the University of Maine Orono for coach John Winkin, he taught me several ways to focus and train my body to throw strikes but we never had anything like the Radar Pitching Trainer to throw simulated innings. It would have been a terrific addition to the college program.

The Radar Pitching Trainer’s Green Story

When John asked me to try the trainer, he knew I’d begun working with IzzitGreen.com – and he knew the green questions would be asked.  And they were!

Here’s the skinny – bringing a new consumer product to market is an inherently tough business.   Although some designers start from the ‘green’ perspective, we’re clearly living in a world where that’s not yet the norm.  Most product designers and manufacturers remain focused on simply getting an innovative, competitive, well-branded product to market.  Most don’t have the resources or knowledge to dig into the environmental impact of their nascent products or companies – both because companies need to conserve their short-term capital and because actionable ‘green’ info remains elusive in many cases.   After all, a hierarchy of needs is just that – a hierarchy.

John and the Radar Pitching Trainer crew are clearly in this latter group.  Their energies have been on the base design of the product and they’ve spent little time considering environmental impact.  However, John and company fit squarely into the category of ‘the good guys’.  The company is hard working, ethical and conscientious, and they’re focus on customers and quality aligns perfectly with a sustainability commitment.

So I did what any good friend-of-the-company should do – I helped to start them on the path to a greener version of the RPT.  We’ve identified some of their immediate opportunities – including exploring their materials options like recycled steel in the frame, non-toxic alternatives to the vinyl impregnated mesh used in the back screen and eco-alternatives for plastic parts.

The company has also identified some short-term wins in packaging, including eliminating a PVC bag used for carrying and shipping.  So they’re on their way.

It’s rare that a consumer gets a chance to really see behind the curtain on the design and manufacturing process for any company, much less a new one.  To me, the salient take-away from the Radar Pitching Trainer story is pretty simple – customer focus and commitment to sustainability are the same thing, but only if customers make their voices heard.  Great companies respond to customers – so let them know you care about the materials and impact of their products.

With that, I’m confident that the Radar Pitching Trainer is not only a cool, sophisticated and valuable product for pitchers – but also one with a bright green future.

So if you’ve got a would-be Sandy Koufax or Jenny Finch in the family, or if you coach a team at any level – grab yourself a trainer.  And while you’re mulling that over, I’m off to do what Eck would call ‘painting that trainer with cheese’.  Happy hurling.

LeRoy Decker will be contributing regularly to IzzitGreen.com.

LeRoy’s a dad, a fitness buff, a financial services and insurance executive and former pitcher of some renown – both while attending the University of Maine Orono and during a stint in the independent minor leagues way up in Canada.  Please check back regularly to see what LeRoy’s cooked-up!