A Look Back

Hello Readers,

This will be my last entry of the semester and I wanted to take a second and look back at what I have learned about the Green lifestyle and the sporting world.

I have to be honest before I took this class I didn't know a lot about living Green and a lot more about sports but after writing on this blog I feel like I know a lot about both. While writing these entries every Monday I learned that sports figures and sports teams have a profound influence on making the green lifestyle more aware to people like me.

People like Steve Nash and the Philadelphia Eagles organization make a conscience effort to bringing more awareness to people who follow them and their career to live a more green lifestyle. It was good to see athletes and teams trying to make a difference in the world. These teams have so much money and I was happy to see they are using their power in the world in a positive way.

I was amazed how many sports or making a effort to help the environment. I was probably most surprised at how much the Indy cars were trying to make a difference by using better fuel by creating their cars with the environment in mind. I was also surprised by all the extreme sports and how they are going green. Green snowboards, surfboards, and bikes are only some of the things that are beginning to be made out of recycled materials.

Outside of the sports world, I started to realize that it is really not that hard to live a green lifestyle and the more effort one makes, the better our world will be in the long run. After talking to people familiar with the green lifestyle, I learned that it only takes a few things each day to make a impact. Things like turning off the water when you brush your teeth or taking a paper bag lunch to work or school. There are some other things that people do such as make their home more green or drive hybrid cars but these tend to be a little more expensive and more of a commitment.

When I started writing this blog I thought I would have a hard time coming up with ideas because I thought sports weren't making a effort to live green. I was very wrong because it seemed each week there was something about an athlete or team doing something to help the environment. Even here in Tucson where I am going to school, the local high schools are starting to build astro turf football fields because it helps save water. Even though it costs more money to build the astro turf field, high schools realize that it is better for the environment and it will cost less in the long run.

I really did enjoy writing this blog because I learned a lot about the green lifestyle and how the sports industry is making a effort to save the environment. I can honestly say that after taking this class and writing this blog that I myself make a effort to do the little things that will help the environment. I learned that if everyone does just a little bit that it will have a huge impact on the world that are kids and grand kids will inherit one day.

Steve Nash Foundation Going Green

Hello Readers,

Another congratulations is in order for the Dallas Cowboys who continued to dominate the NFC by beating the Washington Redskins behind 4 touchdowns from Terrell Owens. I keep expecting us to have a let down game but every game they fight hard play together as a team. I also want to give a shout out to the Phoenix Suns who are off to a nice start. Steve Nash is picking up where he left off and hopefully they will be there in the end.

Speaking of the Suns, their MVP, Steve Nash has a foundation called the Steve Nash Foundation. This foundations mission is to assist under served children in their health, personal development, education and enjoyment of life. On top of this, the Steve Nash Foundation believes that corporations must share responsibility for the well-being of local communities. The foundation encourages environmentally friendly office practices and it offers grant assistance in developing their own recycling and energy conservation practices. Not only is Steve Nash my favorite basketball player in the NBA and now I have even more respect for him because he is trying to help the world become more environmentally friendly.

Nash also opened a sports club in 2007 located in Vancouver, Canada to help people get in shape and live a healthier life. "I've always taken a holistic approach to health," Nash said in a Vancouver Sun article. "And I think we're becoming so much more educated on the impact fitness has on overall health and wellness. I love fitness, just the health and well-being, the mental health that it gives you."

The sports club will have all plasma screen televisions for members to watch while working out but more importantly Nash wanted the club to be environmentally friendly. Nash wanted there to be a big focus on sustainability and environmental responsibility, according to the article.

The floor of the sports club is made from floating bamboo and the rugs in the club are made from recycled athletic shoelaces, according to the article. "We're going to go as green as we can with the gym with sustainable and renewable resources, whether that's with materials and textiles or recycling energy from the cardio machines," said Nash in the article.

Nash said he hopes that he can open five more clubs in the next year or so with even more modern designs and environmentally friendly aspects.

CFL Looking to Go Green

Hello Readers,

I first want to congratulate the Dallas Cowboys for taking care of business yesterday when they went into New York and dismantled the Giants. All the so called "expert" said that the Giants were closing the gap between them and the Cowboys but that doesn't seem to be the case. The Cowboys are the second best team in the NFL. Come February hopefully the Cowboys can get a rematch with those undefeated New England Patriots.

Speaking of football, I read an article about the Canadian Football League (CFL) and how their commissioner is looking to make their sport more green. Mark Cohen is making a strong initiative to make the CFL's Grey Cup more environmentally friendly. The Grey Cup is the CFL's equivalent to the National Football League's (NFL) Super Bowl. According to the CFL web site, the Grey Cup is Canada's largest television event. This year's Grey Cup will be held November 25, 2007.

According to the article by the Canadian Press, Cohen is looking to improve the Grey Cup in three areas: "The use of renewable, clean energy, waste management and carbon offsetting." Cohen said that he has listened to the young fans of the CFL and decided to the league could help influence people who don't know how to live a more green life.

According to the article, Cohen practices what he preaches as he drives a hybrid vehicle. Cohen also said that he expects 300,000 people will visit Toronto during the Grey Cup and that will create an huge impact of the environment.

Recently, the CFL determined that the "total carbon dioxide emissions associated with its championship game's energy use, paper and team air travel, according to a environmental audit. The league will try to balance this effect with a reforestation effort that will be held in British Columbia."

The CFL is also planning on partnering with Bullfrog Power to help provide clean energy during the Grey Cup festivities. CFL is also using Turtle Island to help provide the proper waste management and recycling services throughout the week of the Grey Cup as well as the game itself. Cohen did stress that this is not a one-year thing but he wants it to become a yearly initiative.

A quick shout out to Middlebury College ski team who are working hard to fund a wind farm project in Minnesota and North Dakota as well as a farm methane project. The ski team said that skiing is in jeopardy because of global warming. This effort is part of a service-learning project for environmental economics students.

NBC going green

Hello Readers,

Last night I was watching my Dallas Cowboys play the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday Night Football on NBC. At halftime the Cowboys were winning big but the thing that caught my eye was NBC is doing a "Green Week" called Green is Universal.

During the halftime show, NBC actually turned off the lights while they showed highlights and talked about the first half. They used candles and glow sticks so the viewers could see. Bob Costas, the host of the halftime show on NBC said that by turning off the studio lights they were saving enough power to run a entire house for a day. I thought that it was a very cool idea and knowing how many people watch prime time football I think it really could make a difference.

The NBC web site now is completely green and it evens has a "Green Week" page that gives tips to what people can do to live a more green lifestyle. Some of the tips include; taking a shorter shower to help save water and letting more natural light into your house and that will help lower your electricity. There are videos of Jay Leno talking about a car that gets 100 mpg as well as other green tips that NBC is hoping people will start to incorporate into their daily lives.

I think NBC is doing a great thing here because millions of people watch NBC on a daily basis and during their programming all they will see and hear is how people should live more green. On the NBC web site they have a slogan and it reads, "NBC Universal's new "Green is Universal" campaign kicks off Nov. 4th with a week of green-themed programming aimed at entertaining, informing and empowering Americans to lead greener lives."

Even on a daily soap such as "Days of out Lives" they are having a green wedding with two of the main characters. I don't think any other major television network is doing this kind of awareness to live a green lifestyle and I think it is a great idea. You can watch the video of the wedding online but NBC also lists ways to help and create a green your wedding.

I know I have talked about this before in one of my other postings but I thought it was appropriate to talk about it again. Even though I was born to hate the Philadelphia Eagles I must point out some good stuff they are doing (It makes it easier knowing the Cowboys beat the Eagles last night). During the Cowboys/Eagles game last night, John Madden pointed out that the Eagles are doing a great job of making their stadium more environmentally friendly. They showed on TV how the stadium has many recycling bins and as of November 2, 2007 the Eagles owner Christina Lurie unveiled plans to create an Eagles Forest with the help of the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.

According the Eagles web site, the Eagles Forest is a planned 6.5 acres grass site and Lurie said on the web site, ""Major sports teams have an impact on the environment, especially on game days,"" says Christina Lurie. ""We strive to be a responsible company, both in terms of the community and the environment. We want to set a positive environmental example for the league, the city and our fans. We are excited to partner with DCNR and hope that together we can make a positive impact on our planet."" The Eagles organization is looking to plant more than 20,000 trees, according to the Eagles web site.

Super Bowl trying to go Green

Hello Readers,

First I want to congratulate the Boston Red Sox for winning the World Series over the Colorado Rockies 4-0. I never thought the Sox would sweep a team as hot as the Rockies but they proved they are the best team in baseball. Now with baseball over, it's time to think about football and the upcoming playoffs in a few months.

I recently read a article in the Arizona Republic about how the National Football League wants to make the Super Bowl more environmental friendly. I think this is a great idea and with all the people that attend the Super Bowl, hopefully it will make a difference if everyone tries to recycle at major event like the Super Bowl.

Super Bowl XLII is being held in Glendale, Ariz., at the University of Phoenix Stadium which is the home of the Arizona Cardinals. According to the Republic article, the city of Glendale and the NFL are expecting close to 125,000 visitors and that is a lot of trash that will be generated.

Consultant Jack Groh, who heads the NFL’s Environmental Program said in the article that about 1 million pounds of carbon dioxide will be generated during the time of the Super Bowl in Arizona.

According to the article, Groh is planning on meeting with officials in Arizona about possibly planting 30 acres of trees in Arizona to help offset the effects of the Super Bowl. According to the article, planting those trees will "add up to 10 times the number of saplings necessary to counter the carbon impact."

There are some other great things that the NFL is doing during Super Bowl week to help make a difference in the environment. The first is recycling at the Super Bowl. The article said that last year when the Super Bowl was being held in Miami, "70 percent of the 1,000 tons of solid waste was diverted from landfills and recycled."

During the Super Bowl there is obviously a lot of un-eaten food and the NFL is making an effort to deliver the food to local soup kitchens, churches and homeless shelters. I think this is a great idea. If you think about all the food that is cooked but never eaten at an event like the Super Bowl, all that food could feed the hungry for a long time. The NFL is also trying donate all the supplies that go into running the Super Bowl such as decorations, plants, merchandise, and building materials.

I think if the NFL continues this effort when the Super Bowl comes to Arizona then a lot of people less fortunate will benefit from what the NFL are trying to do. There is so much money generated from the Super Bowl it is nice to see that the NFL is trying to give back and not hurt the environment.

Trying For A Greener World

Hello Readers,

First congratulations are in order to the Boston Red Sox who again came back in the American League Championship Series defeating the Cleveland Indians in game seven last night. Also a quick shout out to my favorite team the Dallas Cowboys who are 6-1 and the top team in the NFC.

I found an interesting article about how the Olympics in 2008 are having meetings this week to discuss how they can make the Olympics in Beijing more green. According to the press release, on October 25-27 the 7th World Conference on Sport and Environment will be held in Beijing and the topics with be how to green major sports and the Olympic games. You can take a look at the web site here.

The two main concerns of the conference are how the "degraded environment can have on sport, the Olympic games and the athletes" The other issue is how sports and certain events have on the environment. At the conference there will be a progress report on the preparations of the Olympic games.

So after spending most of the weekend watching sporting events on television I remember seeing something on the web about a green TV. There is a web site called Green Energy TV. This is an online television channel that is "dedicated to airing Green/Alternative/Renewable Energy videos for millions of viewers around the world to see." I think this is pretty cool because it educates the viewers and gives people the opportunity to download their own videos. On the main page of the web site they have categories and different links that take you to videos of certain topics. This web site also has green tips that are interesting and I recommend you check them out. You can view the tips here.

There is a web site that I wanted to share with you about Top Green Cars. This web site has some cool pictures of green cars that are the future of sports racing. Volvo is developing a racing car that is environmentally friendly. You can check out the article here and make sure and check out the photos. This article breaks down what exactly makes up the car and I think it is pretty interesting. I would think the future of racing cars will be something like these cars where gas mileage is better and emissions is low.

Volvo is also coming out with a plug-in hybrid sports car. Just by looking at the picture I think I would drive one of these cars. According to the article, you can charge the battery by simply plugging in to a regular outlet and when charged you can drive the car for 62 miles. I want to share a quote with you that was in the article.

""This is a groundbreaking innovation for sustainable transportation. This plug-in hybrid car, when used as intended, should have about 66 percent lower emissions of carbon dioxide compared with the best hybrid cars available on the market today. Emissions may be even lower if most of the electricity comes from CO2-friendly sources such as biogas, hydropower and nuclear power. A person driving less than 60 miles per day will rarely need to visit a filling station. Also, thanks to the excellent electrical range from a fuel consumption angle, the Volvo ReCharge Concept is exceptionally kind to the car owner’s wallet," commented Magnus Jonsson, Senior Vice President Research & Development at Volvo Cars in the article."

I am interested to see if Volvo has success with this car because other hybrids that have came out have not been extremely successful because the cars look funny but this car look normal and very sporty. I can honestly say that I would drive a car like this.

Saving the World One Lap at a Time

Hello Readers,

I wanted to start out by congradulating the Colorado Rockies who are one game away from sweeping my Arizona Diamondbacks in the National League Championship Series.

I was recently reading online about the San Fransisco Giants stadium and how they added 590 solar panels to their baseball park. According to the Giants web site, "AT&T Park will be the first in Major League Baseball with solar panels and will bring about 120 kilowatts of energy for PG&E customers in the City and County of San Francisco."

The 590 solar panels are about the same as 40 home roof systems and the estimated cost of the panels is around 1 million dollars and the power generated by the panels will be able to power the Giants new scoreboard, according to the Giants web site.

I think this is the wave of the future for sports stadiums and I think that more stadiums should be utalizing solar panels expecially teams on the west coast where there is a lot of sun light year round.

I know I touched on the topic of Formula One going green but I felt it needed a little bit more talking about because it seems that they are making a big difference. Formula One is heading toward hybrid technology for future years and I think this is very important and could have a huge impact on racing sports. Fuel economy is a major issue for Formula One and that is why they are changing their policies.

Formula One races are not like Indy or Nascar races because F1 races are mostly done on road courses. Indy and Nascar races don't require their cars to stop and start like F1 races do. Becasue F1 races are on road courses the fuel consumption is very high due to cars going up to 200 mph and then braking and starting up again. This problem made F1 realize that something needs to be done. According to the F1 web site, the F1 cars gets about 4 miles per gallon! F1 tried the hybrid idea back in the 1990s but was stalled due to safety, according to the F1 web site.

I think this is important because F1 is not not the problem anymore but now trying to become a part of the solution. Indy cars are also starting to be a part of the solution because they are using ethanol and Nascar has also switched to unleaded gas.

Athletes Going Green

Hello Readers,

Being that this is a sports blog and I am a huge Arizona Diamondbacks fan, I want to congratulate the Dbacks for sweeping the "Lovable Losers" the Chicago Cubs and being one more step closer to the World Series!

I was researching to see if I could find more information about sports teams going green and I stumbled upon a cool website called Grist. On this web site it has "green lists" and some of the list topics are "Green Actors," "Green Cities," and "Green Sports Starts."

The lists of green sports starts was interesting to read and I wanted to outline some of what the stars are doing. The first star that they listed is Yao Ming. Yao is a basketball player that plays for the Houston Rockets and according to the Grist article Yao has, "spoken out against hunting of sharks for their fins, a delicacy in his native China," and Yao has also done public announcements for WildAid. You can click on this link to check out the Yao Ming video.

Another team on the list was the Philadelphia Eagles and how they have helped plant trees in Philadelphia. I was curious so I checked out their web site and on the Eagles web site they actually have a link called "Go Green." I was surprised to see this because I have checked other sports organizations web sites and the Eagles are one of the only ones to have a link on their web page. The Eagles are really doing some nice things in the community. One thing that is really cool about the Eagles Go Green page is that they have a "Green Energy Calculator" and according to the web site fans have saved $73,674.90 a year and saved 666,320 lbs. of CO2 per year. I highly recommend that you check this page out because their is so much that the Eagles are doing in the community to help make people and fans more environmentally friendly. You can access the Eagles Go Green web site here.

There was a link on the Eagles Go Green web site and I wanted to share it with you. This article was by the Associated Press and published in April 22, 2007. Some of the major points were that the Eagles are considered one of the most environmentally friendly sports organizations and the San Francisco Giants baseball team has installed solar panels. This article is a great read if you are a sports fan and it makes you realize that their are influential people that are trying to make a difference. I really suggest you read the article. It is called, "Concerned about the Earth, Pro Teams Move to Frontier of Change."

I wanted to point out a few other sports stars that were on the "Green Sports Stars" list. Kelly Slater is a pro surfer and eight time champion but he is also interested in saving the coral reefs worldwide. He has established the Kelly Slater Invitational competition which raises funds and awareness for Reef Check. According to this web site, Reef Check is a organization geared towards saving the reefs worldwide.

There are also four sporting events that the lists said were going green. They were the Olympics, the Super Bowl, the World Cup, and the Indy Racing League. If you want to see what they are doing then click here. Also check out some of the comments. There is some good information that the readers pointed out.

Baseball Teams Going Green

Hello Readers,

October is here and it is time for playoff baseball! It made me think what are baseball teams doing to be more environmentally friendly. I found an article from 7 News in Boston about Fenway Park. Fenway park is the home of the Boston Red Sox who won the AL East division title for the first time in 12 years just a couple of days ago.

The article said that Fenway would start to become more environmentally friendly by improving their recycling and trash programs. Solar panels are also being considered to lower the utilities bills. Fenway is one of the oldest stadiums in Major League Baseball and you can read more about the stadium here.

The plan to make Fenway more environmentally friendly is planned to be finished around 2012, according to the article by 7 News in Boston. Red Sox president Larry Lucchino was quoted in the article, "We are not only committed to preserving the history, beauty, and integrity of Fenway Park, but we are also determined to enhance the park's environmental attributes so it can serve our team, our fans, and our community in the 21st Century as well as it did in the 20th Century."

The article pointed out that the Red Sox family have already started the new recycling program by adding recycling bins and according to the article and the Red Sox, "The Red Sox said they already have gathered 10 tons of cardboard in 2007 -- enough to save 170 mature trees, 4,600 gallons of oil, 70,000 gallons of water and 41,000 kilowatt hours of electricity."

I always wondered what large stadiums like this did to recycle because these pro teams have so much money and they can really make a difference if they make a conscience effort.

"As a professional sports franchise, we have the opportunity to reach millions," Lucchino said in the article with 7 News is Boston. "We will continue to increase our efforts to protect the environment in a cost-competitive way."

Towards the bottom of the article it did mention that Fenway is starting to use more environmentally friendly foods such as locally grown organic produce.

You can check this article out here.

There are other sports teams that are doing the same thing. In another article called, "Environmentally Friendly Buildings," Kelly Pedone writes about how facilities are saving the earth's resources and money.

The Oakland A's in 2005 replaced their plastic cups with compostable cups, according to the article. Pedone said in her article, "The organic material used for the cups is made from corn and is certified by the Biodegradable Product Institute. The cups turn into 100 percent compost within 30 to 60 days instead of taking months or years to compost as traditional plastic cups." To learn more about the Biodegradable Product Institute and the products they offer click here. The A's organization is also recycling more, according to the article, "Tree trimmings and grass clippings are gathered and placed into a separate recycling debris box, reducing trash by 39.22 tons annually. Bottles and cans are sorted by hand and placed in a locked storage container until they’re picked up. Food waste from caterer kitchens is either donated to area food banks or emptied into special three-yard bins and recycled via compost."

The Washington Nationals are opening a new baseball stadium next year in 2008 and according to the article by Pedone the builders of the Nationals stadium are required to have, "A sustainable urban site, transit-oriented design, water conservation and cleanliness, use of environmentally sensitive materials, energy efficiency, materials with recycled content, and waste recycling among other measures," according to Pedone in the article.

If you are interested in recycling there are two sites you should check out. The first is Recycling in the USA and Recycle City. Also check out Pedone's article here.

I was pleased to read that sports organizations are making a effort to make their stadiums more environmentally friendly because these organizations have so much money and resources to make a difference and with all the trash that piles up in stadiums, you can tell by these articles that doing a little can make a huge impact.

Extreme Sports Going Green

Hello Readers,

I recently was thinking about a trip that my family and I are taking to Aspen, Colorado for Christmas and how excited I was to get to snowboard. I started to think if extreme sports like snowboarding, skateboarding, and surfing are doing anything to go green. I found a very interesting article by the Washington Post called "Greening the Gear," and it talked about that very issue.

This article, by Kathleen Horn was very interesting because it talked about how sporting good companies have a tough test to try and convince buyers that their products are really green and worth the money. Before I talk about the different products that are available there were a couple of facts that I thought I would pass along that I did not not before reading this article.

1) According to the Horn article, Frank Scura, the co-founder and executive director of the Action Sports Environmental Coalition helped make green the "X Games." X Games is a extreme sporting events where athletes compete on winter and summer sports such as snowboarding in the winter and skateboarding in the summer. According to the article, Scura "encouraged skateboard ramps to be built out of Forest Stewardship Council-certified lumber."

2) Also Scura wants there to be a green stamp placed on items that would guarantee that all products meets the ASEC guidelines. I think both of these ideas were fantastic ideas and it is nice to see sports making a effort to help the environment.

Back to the article by Horn, the first product that Horn introduces is the surfboard. She talks about the old surfboard were made of materials that were harmful to the environment. For example, Horn said that the old boards were made of, "toluene diisocyanate and then coated with polyester resins and both are considered harmful to the environment and to the workers to handle them." The new surfboards are created with "epoxy resins, natural composites" that are less harmful.

The next product were rubber balls. According to Horn, most traditional rubber balls are made of "synthetic leather outer shell and a rubber air bladder. Aggressive harvesting of leather can deplete the forest," according to Horn's article. There is a company called "Fair Trade Sports" and they make rubber balls with FSC-certified rubber. "FSC certification means the product is from a responsibly managed forest, as dictated by international rules," according to Horn. Scott James, founder of Fair Trade Sports offers soccer balls, volleyballs, footballs and basketballs and all of them are FSC certified.

Skateboards was the next product and I never thought about skaters breaking the boards a lot and because of that trees must died to keep this sport as popular as it is. Now there are eco-friendly boards that are made out of bamboo and hemp fiberglass. The one problem about this method is bamboo is not cheap and just like everything else, there isn't an endless supply of bamboo.

The last product I will talk about is snowboards. Companies like Venute Snowboards and Arbor are using "harvested wood, bamboo and organic cotton and hemp to create these boards. There was a quote that was interesting about snowboards that I want to share with you; "For example, Arbor's marketing manager, Jessica Ng, says bamboo is "lighter, more responsive and more durable" than wood, plus it offers "more pop . . . [or] liveliness to the board" when making jumps," according to the Horn article.

I highly encourage everyone to take a look at the article by Kathleen Horn, there are some cool pictures of the products. Click here to access the article.

I was very happy to see that sports that are becoming so popular are making a effort to be more environmental friendly. I actually need a new snowboard for my trip in a couple of months and I think I might consider buying one that is "green."

Sport Getting Healthier

Hello Readers,

I found a very interesting article and I thought I would share it with you. This article was about how CleenFreek SportsHygiene partnered with BioQuest Technologies to help infrom teams from the high school level to the professional level about Staph infections in the sports world.

Personally, I guess I never realized how common Staph infections are and how they can be very dangerous if not treated right. According to Medicinenet.com, a Staph infection or sometimes called, "Staphylococcus is a group of bacteria that can (and do) cause a multitude of diseases. Staph bacteria can cause illness directly by infection (such as the skin) or indirectly through products they make such as toxins responsible for food poisoning and toxic shock syndrome."

To put this is simpular terms, according to Medicine Net, "Staphylococcus comes from a greek word meaning "a bunch of grapes" and that is what a staph infection looks like under a microscope."

Back to the article, Staph infections are becoming more common in athletes and CleenFreek presented BioQuest with a way of making it easier for athletic trainers to help reduce infections in athletes. According to a press release on the NTSI web site (Nano Science and Technology Institute, "Teams at all levels from professional to youth have started using CleenFreek’s sport towels, yoga and exercise mats, shower sandals, etc. that prevent the growth of bacteria, fungus, mold and mildew which give athletes added protection and enables them to stay active. CleenFreek’s products are being used by a number of NFL teams including the New York Giants, St. Louis Rams, Tennessee Titans, Green Bay Packers, Denver Broncos, and Detroit Lions. Many colleges and universities are using CleenFreek as well including major Division One schools like the University of Georgia, University of Kansas, University of Illinois and many other colleges."

The number of teams here really surprised me especially all the NFL teams because I guess I just thought that all the money these teams have they would have the most cutting edge technology to prevent these type of things from happening. But I guess germs are everywhere and it is nice to see that all football teams all over the United States realize this is a problem and CleenFreek products are intended to prevent and sometimes kill bacteria, mold, and fungus "before they have a chance to migrate from player to player or surface to player," according to the press release.

There was a quote in the press release from Junior Seau who has played with multiple NFL teams and recently had contracted a staph infection and I wanted to share the quote with you: "After contracting MRSA and being hospitalized, I learned first hand not to take my health for granted,” said Seau on the press release on the NTSI web site. “As an 18 year veteran in the NFL, I want all athletes to get educated and protect their health from MRSA and Staph that’s why I use CleenFreek SportsHygiene. CleenFreek kills and prevents Staph, MRSA, and germs. Listen, don’t be complacent, take control, educate yourself, use CleenFreek in all athletic environments."

Seau was a player that I grew up watching and it really hit home to hear him say that he dealt with this problem. If you want to learn more about CleenFreek please visit there web site.
You can also check out BioQuest Technologies.

Helping Sports Adapt

Hello readers,

I recently read an article on the Sports Illustrated web site by Alexander Wolff on how the sports world needs to combat global warming and the environemntal crisis we face everyday.
This article gives the readers a list of how to be a greener sports fan. Many of things were new to me. It was nice to see that athletes are making a effort to help the environment. There are foundations such as the Global Water Foundation and the Surfrider Foundation that are dedicated protecting the environment.
This article also featured pictures of possible future football and baseball stadiums that are more green friendly. According to Wolff, Sports Illustrated teamed with architectural firm SmithGroup to design these stadiums.
"The good news is that stadiums and arenas, if built with green aforethought, can be more than symbolic Valhallas that remind us that we're all in this together," said Wolff in the SI article. "Site one near a public-transit line, and there's less need to build that most Earth-hostile of features, the vast parking lot. (The greenest ballpark in the country may be Fenway Park, because only an idiot would try driving and parking there.)" The pictures of the stadiums are very cool looking and if that is the future of sports then the future of sports looks bright. You can check out the pictures of the stadiums as well as the article here. Make sure and check out the other ways that you can become a greener sports fan.

Sports Illistrated also did an article called "Green my Ride." I thought this was very interesting because it listed cars that NBA player's have and how most of them are not environmentally friendly. For each car that they listed they gave a car that was like it but was more "green." For example, the first car listed is a Hummer. According to the web site, a Hummer get 16 miles per gallon in the city and 20 miles per gallon on the highway. A possible replacement for the Hummer according to the web site is the Honda Civic GX. This car gets 28 miles per gallon in the city and 39 miles per gallon on the highway. You can read the rest of the article here.

One interesting thing that I read in the Wolff article was how motor sports could have the quickest and biggest impact on the enviornment. According to Wolff, "The Formula One circuit has already discovered hybrids and biofuels, and Indy cars are mixing ethanol into their fuel. NASCAR is poised to phase out leaded gasoline, a neurotoxin. (The Clean Air Act of 1970 included an exemption for race cars even as the public was barred from buying cars that ran on leaded gas.) It's only a short jump from a NASCAR driver with a raised consciousness to a NASCAR fan with the same."

Astro Turf Fields

Hello Readers,

I recently talked to the Assistant Principal and Head Football Coach at Cienega High School, Nemer Hassey about their astro Turf field.
We discussed the pros and cons of the new field and difference between grass and the astro turf.
"There are not too many cons to the field, the only thing that I would say is that when the sun is directly over it it gets really hot," said Hassey. "But towards the afternoon it does okay but that's probably the only negative is that it can get hot other than that there is nothing else negative about it."
The Cienega Football field was constructed in the summer of 2006 and currently is the home to the Bobcats football team as well as the soccer team. Before the field was built, Cienega had a grass field that seemed to be more of a problem then a home field advantage.
"Safety was one reason why we changed the field, we had a very hard field and we couldn't even grow grass on it , it was a very, very poor field, " said Hassey. "We ended up putting a lot of money into the old field with fertilizer and water and it was still below average."
After the field was built, Hassey realized that the new field was saving them a lot of money in utilities because the astro turf field does not require the maintenance that grass fields do.
Hassey estimated that the water, labor, fertilizer, and paint to create the lines on the old field was costing Cienega around $65,000 a each year while the new field costs a one time amount of 600,000. Hassey said that due to no maintenance the new field will pay for itself over time and Cienega will always have a nice field to play on.
Also, with the old field no other sports could use the field because they would have to save it for football games but now anyone can use it anytime.
The whole construction of the field only took two months and Hassey thinks the future of high school football fields will be astro turf because of the water, maintenance and money schools would save.
"I think astro turf fields will be the new trend in Tucson," said Hassey. "I think it will take some time but I think schools will start moving toward astro turf fields."
When looking at astro turf fields it is hard to imagine why other school wouldn't change to astro turf at some point. Recently, Tucson High School built a new astro turf field for their football team.
In the age of the green movement, astro turf fields are much more reliable and costs schools less in the long run especially in terms of utilities.

Introduction

Hello Readers,

I wanted to give you a brief introduction of what I will be writing about in this blog. I have been a longtime sports fan and have grown up watching and playing any sport that I could. I recently learned about the green movement and I thought it would be interesting to report and post what teams or individuals are doing to help the sporting world be more environmentally safe.
I am going to look at all sports that range from high school to the professional ranks and try to get some colorful interviews with athletes or front office personnel to see just how "Green" sports teams and organizations are or how they are lacking.
Some possible issues that I will try and tackle involve researching energy bills for the pro teams in the state of Arizona. Stadiums such as Chase Field, University of Phoenix Stadium, and United Airlines Arena have to spend millions of dollars on energy bills trying keep the stadiums up to standard. I know that the Arizona Diamondbacks ballpark, Chase Field is air conditioned. How much is this costing to air condition a stadium that holds around 40,000 people?
Another question is are these stadiums and ballparks using paper or plastic cups and do they make a constant effort to recycle? How much water is being used to water the field at University of Phoenix Stadium and the grass at Chase Field? I can also expand this to the high school level and see what high schools are doing to cut down on the amount of energy they save and report on how they are being green friendly.
I want to try and get some interesting interviews with all different kind of athletes, staff, and management to try and get a sense of just how aware sports teams and organizations are of the environment and the difference they can make by living green.
I know there are some organizations such as the Global Sports Alliance that are made up of sports fans like myself that want to help protect the environment.

WELCOME TO MY PAGE