The College Football Playoff National Championship game between the Oregon Ducks and Ohio State Buckeyes operated a plan to be more environmentally responsible.
Sustainability was one of the goals for the first College Football Playoff National Championship at Arlington, Texas’ AT&T Stadium. Although final tallies in this environmental effort were not yet in at press time, those involved with the Playoff Green initiative have reported that it was a success.
At the College Football Playoff (CFP) national championship game, which was held Jan. 12, Ohio State University outscored the University of Oregon in a big upset with a score of 42-20.
“We were thrilled to host the first CFP, which was certainly one of the biggest and best events we've had at AT&T Stadium,” said Chad Estis, executive vice president, business operations, Dallas Cowboys Football Club. “From an execution standpoint, working closely with the CFP staff, Cotton Bowl staff and our own facility operations team, we felt the event ran very smoothly on all fronts. The stadium was sold out, concession per cap was as high as any we've seen and the amount of media coverage of the event showcasing our stadium was incredible.”
The goal of the initiative was to both offset any environmental damage from the event and leave the location in the same condition it was in prior to the event, which attracted 80,000 attendees.
Berkeley, Calif.-based TerraPass, a provider of sustainable carbon emissions solutions, partnered with the venue as part of the program.
In addition to implementing solid waste recycling, water conservation messaging, tree planting and material repurposing on game day, AT&T Stadium used renewable energy certificates (RECs) provided by TerraPass that were generated locally by wind farms in Texas.
TerraPass also balanced all flight emissions for both teams traveling to Texas by supporting a local landfill carbon offset project.
“This was a difficult task, especially bringing together that many people and with a stadium of 80,000, but the program was a complete success,” said Nancy Bsales, carbon solutions manager for TerraPass. “The sustainability initiative was in line with what many colleges and universities are doing around the U.S.”
In terms of results, the program offset the emissions for more than 1.5 million passenger flight miles for the national championship game or enough to fly over 92,000 football fields. The emissions from the air travel and the energy used on game day was equivalent to the CO2 emissions of more than 20,000 propane tanks for tailgating barbecues.
“To take part in a sustainability program such as this, stadiums or events need to understand the numbers in terms of energy usage, because you can’t manage what you don’t measure,” Bsales said. “Although the price of a program can vary tremendously, funding renewable energy for one event at a large stadium can cost as little as $1,000.”
Jack Groh, who served as CFP’s sustainability consultant and helped create the program, also has worked with the NFL to establish sustainability programs for past Super Bowl and Pro Bowl games.
“With this initiative, we wanted to run the game and surrounding events as environmentally responsibly as possible,” Groh said. “We also wanted to show we were aware of our audience, since colleges and universities, along with their students, are leading the way in sustainability.”
The CFP’s sustainability model was similar to what has been implemented in past Super Bowl and Pro Bowl games. This included looking at the activities and materials being brought into the host community and determining ways to lighten the environmental impact.
Among the number of areas that were focused on, solid waste was the biggest challenge due to the scope of the event. Thousands of pounds of leftover building materials, décor, merchandise and supplies were repurposed after the event. To accomplish this, more than a mile of fence wrap, in addition to banners, flags and signage, were sent to a Colorado facility that finds new uses for these materials.
Also, more than 10,000 pounds of food was donated to area food banks.
In addition, TerraPass provided renewable energy certificates to offset electrical use and zero out travel emissions from the players, coaches, trainers, support staff and administrative personnel traveling to Texas for the game.
A water conservation campaign included messages in the game day program and fan guide that informed attendees about the Texas drought and provided tips on curbing water usage.
An urban forestry development project also was brought to the CFP in conjunction with Dallas’ Texas Trees Foundation, the Texas A&M Forest Service in College Station and the U.S. Forest Service, part of the USDA.
“College students were invited to a local Texas park that was in need of trees,” Groh said. “Four local teams competed to see who could plant 10 trees the fastest and most accurately.”
To encourage recycling at the CFP, 36 students with an interest in sustainability were trained and positioned on site during the game. These recruits directed game attendees with recyclables to one of about 2,000 bins throughout the stadium.
Under a sponsorship deal, RockTenn, a Norcross, Ga.-based box manufacturer, provided branded cardboard recycling bins for the event.
“This recycling project was absolutely free,” Groh said.
Colleges and universities are at the forefront of sustainability programs and have personnel who can serve as resources for venues interested in implementing these programs.
“It’s really a three-pronged approach with sustainable initiatives,” said Shawna McKinley, director of sustainability at MeetGreen, a sustainable meeting management company located in Portland, Ore. “The first thing to look at is the daily operations, then a facility must figure out how to reduce the environmental impact with waste management systems. The legacy is the third aspect and is where carbon offsets come in.”
Venues that address the environmental bottom line not only operate greener, but also can reap other benefits.
“Green sports programs have donated money to local schools,” McKinley said. “There also are sponsorship opportunities for companies with aligned values, which can create another investment stream.”
Although cost savings were not yet calculated for this program at press time, CFP’s Playoff Green initiative resulted in positive PR for AT&T Stadium.
“We practice sustainability not for PR, but because it’s the responsible thing to do,” said Mark E. Neifeld, event manager at AT&T Stadium. “Still, there definitely was more attention given to the CFP due to its sustainable practices.”
Interviewed for this article: Nancy Bsales, (973) 220-2084; Chad Estis, (817) 892-4401; Jack Groh, (401) 952-0886; Shawna McKinley, (778) 385-8776; Mark E. Neifeld, (817) 892-4000