Presentation+Edits

Edits to presentation

Why is baseball important to the environment? Amount of money involved, amount of fans, etc.

Stakeholders MLB Make all decisions for the league, have meeting with environmental advocates, inform team owners about changes to be made Groundscrew Apply changes to the field, most affected by chemicals used on field MLB Fans Pay money, support the league, changes to stadium raises awareness among fans MLB Owners Decide what changes are made to parks, manage team’s money MLB Teams/Players Using the field, association has to agree with changes the MLB makes

Integrate sources throughout presentation

How important is baseball to America? Enjoyable Passed down through generations People can root for their favorite team Accessible sport

Edited Opening Baseball has always been America’s favorite pastime. This tradition has carried on since 1900, and in that time more than 100 stadiums have been built.

It wasn’t until a few years ago that the environment became a factor into the great game that has been passed on for generations. Many environmental advocates were concerned about how Major League Baseball was handling their grass, energy, lighting, and waste products. MLB teams have millions of dollars to spend and it is their responsibility to make their stadiums environmentally sustainable. At this point, only a few MLB stadiums have made substantial changes to how they treat the environment.

Advocates challenged Bud Selig, Commissioner of MLB, and other owners to keep up in the “green world.” The MLB was ready for the challenge and worked hard with the Green Peace and other strong environmental advocate groups to make positive changes in the environment.

The Minnesota Twins baseball organization is a great example of a team that was ready to incorporate environmentalism into America’s favorite game. The Minnesota Twins played baseball at the Metrodome for many years. In 2007 MLB and the Twins started clearing land for a new stadium. This would be the first new stadium built since MLB had serious talks with environmental groups on protecting the environment. All three parties thought this would be a great time to create a perfect “green stadium.” It seemed like a simple science, but there were many stake holders involved and billions of dollars at risk for transforming baseball into an environmentally sustainable sport.

Edited Conclusion The Twins worked hard on the new stadium and by 2010, the team was able to play in it. This was also an important milestone for MLB and environmental advocates because Target Field was awarded the LEED Silver certification, one of the most prestigious environmental awards any building can receive. A major feature that helped them achieve this award was their rain water harvesting program. This is an underground contraption that collects rain water and other precipitation and filters it. Once it is filtered, it is brought to the surface where the it can be used for hosing down the field, washing their thousands of seats or cleaning anything else in the stadium. This is an amazing milestone, not only for the Twins, but for the world. This is proof that baseball stadiums can “GO GREEN.” Several stadiums, such as Fenway Park, Safeco Field, Marlin Stadium and Nationals Park in DC, have followed Target Field in the attempt to make their stadium more eco-friendly. The hope is for one day every baseball park will be just like Minnesota’s Target Field.

Problems
 * 1) 1. Stadium lights
 * 2) a. High energy consumers, often inefficient
 * 3) 2. Garbage/waste disposal
 * 4) a. No recycling programs
 * 5) b. Limited garbage cans
 * 6) c. Lots of litter
 * 7) 3. Grass chemicals
 * 8) a. Some chemicals are semi-chemicals
 * 9) b. A little more research
 * 10) 4. Water consumption
 * 11) a. 10 million gallons of water used per year in every stadium
 * 12) b. Overused resource

Solutions Above and beyond
 * 1) 1. Solar panels/ renewable energy sources
 * 2) a. 10 parks already have panels that could power 400 TV
 * 3) b. Less energy used by lighting
 * 4) 2. Recycling Programs
 * 5) a. 75% of all stadiums now have fan-accessible recycling programs
 * 6) b. Reduces amount of litter
 * 7) c. Reduces trash in landfills
 * 8) 3. Healthier chemicals
 * 9) a. More research
 * 10) 4. Rainwater harvesting
 * 11) a. Underground contraption, collects 4.8 million gallons of water to be used hosing down fields, etc.
 * 1) 1. Nationals park
 * 2) a. Rainwater harvesting
 * 3) b. 41,000 seats, 1,300 parking spots to encourage public transportation use
 * 4) 2. Fenway park
 * 5) a. “week at the park” program, players talk to fans about environmentalism, give out grass seeds
 * 6) b. Biodegradable wall padding
 * 7) c. Solar panels
 * 8) 3. Safeco Field
 * 9) a. Solar panels
 * 10) 4. Miller Park
 * 11) a. LEED certification
 * 12) b. Solar panels
 * 13) 5. Progressive Field
 * 14) a. Rainwater harvesting
 * 15) b. Waterless urinals
 * 16) 6. AT&T Park
 * 17) a. First stadium to install solar panels

Ideas for the future
 * 1) 1. Solar panels installed on all ballparks
 * 2) 2. Advanced recycling programs