Cardinals 4 A Greener Game

FOR A GREENER GAME

The Cardinals began the "4 A Greener Game" program at Busch Stadium during the 2008 season as a two month pilot program. After tremendous success, the program now averages over 25 volunteers per game with numbers increasing year after year.

Since its inception, the program has diverted over 4,500 tons of waste from the stadium trash disposal and local landfills. The program's success can be partially credited to 550 conveniently placed recycling bins around the stadium, making it easy for fans to recycle when they come to a baseball game. Success is also due in large part to volunteers who collect recyclables during games, and the maintenance staff who separate additional recyclables from the trash after a game.

Mission Statement

The St. Louis Cardinals are committed to promoting environmental stewardship and sustainability. Our goal is to put a winning team on the field and create a safe, fun, family friendly environment and entertainment experience for our guests while minimizing the impact on the natural environment. Specifically, the Cardinals will:

Strive to minimize pollution and waste through programs designed to reduce and recycle the consumable materials we use throughout our operations.
Conserve energy and water, support renewable energy resources, and encourage environmentally sound transportation options for employees and fans.
Identify and purchase environmentally friendly products and services for all stadium and team operations.

For more information or to sign up please contact Elizabeth Knobbe by e-mail 4agreenergame@cardinals.com or by phone 314-345-9875.

Green Week

In celebration of the 46th anniversary of Earth Day, the St. Louis Cardinals will host their 7th annual Green Series, April 29 through May 3, with activities designed to promote reusing, recycling and solar power, both inside and outside of Busch Stadium.

More Information: cardinals.com/greenweek

Green Team
Accomplishments
Objectives
Green Path
Solar Power
News
Partners

Join the Green Team!

Help to make a difference!

The 2015 season was an exhilarating time for everyone in Cardinal Nation! A big THANK YOU to all who participated and helped make the season a success. With your help, we were able to divert over 750 tons of materials from local landfills. The St. Louis Cardinals would like to invite you to be an important part of what is sure to be an exciting 2016!

Once again, we are looking for friendly volunteers from local colleges, community organizations, church groups - even friends and families - to join our Green Team initiative and help collect recyclables from fans throughout each game at Busch Stadium.

The Green Team is a group of volunteers who walk down the aisles of the seating bowl in-between innings collecting recyclables from fans and promoting recycling at Busch Stadium. Volunteers are asked to arrive an hour prior to game time for a brief training session. Recycling collection begins in the 2nd inning, continues throughout the game and ends 15 minutes following the conclusion of the game.

In exchange for your services, you're able to watch the game in standing room only sections of Busch Stadium, as collections are only done in-between innings and during pitching changes so as not to disturb fans trying to watch the game.

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Download the Release & Waiver for the Green Team (adult) »
Download the Release & Waiver for the Green Team (minor) »

Accomplishments

1. Awards

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The Partnership for Downtown St. Louis and the Downtown Community Improvement District- Sustainability Award
To celebrate the 40th anniversary of Earth Day, the St. Louis Cardinals, in partnership with The Partnership for Downtown St. Louis, Waste Management and WITS, hosted an e-cycling drive collecting unwanted electronics in the Ballpark Village Lot. During the St. Louis Cardinals 1st annual two-day event, more than 1,500 people dropped off their unwanted electronics, filling 14 tractor trailers and diverting 158 tons of electronics from the landfill.
St. Louis Green Business Challenge- Award of Achievement
The St. Louis Green Business Challenge encourages companies to adopt sustainable practices by forming Green Teams, conserving energy and water, reducing waste, improving indoor environmental quality, and providing clean transportation options. The St. Louis Cardinals documented data to help sustain, share and promote the efforts made through the St. Louis Green Business Challenge. The key goal was to foster broad-based understanding of sustainability principles, so that participant activity will generate a culture of sustainable values and practices throughout the community.
St. Louis Science Center- Eco Expo Honorable Mention
The goal was to educate visitors about the many ways they can live, work, and play in a way that's environmentally friendly, sustainable, and green.
Missouri Waste Coalition- Environmental Stewardship Award
Projects that qualify for achievement in environmental stewardship will demonstrate exceptional improvement, protection, and/or restoration of areas such watersheds, wild life or endangered species habitat, soil, water, or wastewater management practices, reduced pollutant emissions or consumption of natural resources with methods that are both environmentally and economically sustainable and shows documented results both before and after implementation.
WasteWise-Partner
WasteWise is a free, voluntary EPA program through which organizations eliminate costly municipal solid waste and select industrial wastes, benefiting their bottom line and the environment. WasteWise helps its partners meet goals to reduce and recycle municipal solid waste and selected industrial wastes. The St. Louis Cardinals were given the award for demonstrating commitment to waste reduction.
The Bridge
Certificate of Appreciation- This certificate was received in recognition of the St. Louis Cardinals valuable contribution to reclaiming and providing food for The Bridge.

2. Recycling

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Year	Goal	Actual	Landfill	Recycling/Composting
2015	40%	37%	1304 tons	785 tons
2014	40%	35%	1341 tons	734 tons
2013	40%	34%	1384 tons	743 tons
2012	40%	33%	1360 tons	680 tons
2011	40%	29%	1352 tons	535 tons
2010	25%	29%	1327 tons	709 tons
2009	20%	24%	1426 tons	450 tons
2008	15%	15%	1542 tons	278 tons

Year	Project
2011	Will purchase: additional tilt trucks, expand composting program, and establish a battery recycling program
2010	Established the composting program and paid for hauling fees
2009	Cardboard compactor and permanent recycling containers for exterior of building

3. Energy

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Year	Project
2011	Energy Audit
2010	Retro-commissioning project
2009	Lighting occupancy sensors throughout the building

4. Highlights

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2011 Objectives

The St. Louis Cardinals focus on five key areas that formulate the sustainable operations objective. The key areas consist of energy, solid waste management, water, green purchasing, and promotion/outreach.

Solid Waste Management

Diversion Rate Goal-40%
Composting Goal- 30 tons
Glass Recycling Goal- 30 tons
Host a Green Week- including an e-cycling event
Host a World Environment Day event- June 5
Work with SportService to purchase more eco-friendly products
Increase eco-friendly promotional items

Energy

Reduce Energy by 10% to satisfy EnergyStar commitment
AmerenUE Business Energy Efficiency Retro-commissioning project
Establish a plan for water efficiency
Obtain sponsorship for hand dryers

New Initiatives

Energy Audit
Solar Project
Missouri Department of Natural Resources- Energize Missouri Industries Industrial Energy Efficient Program
Indoor Air Quality Survey
Solid Waste Cost Analysis
WasteWise Food Recovery Challenge
SMA Supply Chain Study
Expand Efforts to Springfield and Jupiter
ISO Certification for SportService

Delaware North Companies - Green Path

As one of the most admired, privately held companies in the world, Delaware North Companies is fortunate to do business in many of the world's most high-profile and treasured places. The company is committed to responsible stewardship of the resources in all these locales, and thus we developed GreenPath®, an environmental management system, to guide us in our pursuit of environmental excellence.

Delaware North fully acknowledges it is essential that all company operations and activities be conducted in strict accordance with sound environmental health and safety practices. Therefore, all company operations will be managed in compliance with all laws and regulations related to environmental responsibility and human health and safety applicable to our business activities. Delaware North is committed to preventing pollution in the areas where we do business, and to continually improving the company's environmental performance. To achieve these goals, Delaware North will adopt best available practices in environmental matters. Specifically, Delaware North will:

Incorporate environmental considerations into business decisions, including planning and design activities;
Review activities, products and services to limit the nature and scale of our environmental impact;
Set measurable objectives and targets to improve environmental performance;
Reduce the generation and disposal of waste;
Anticipate emerging environmental issues and develop programs to respond to future challenges;
Allocate and maintain resources for the effective implementation of environmental management and compliance programs;
Encourage communication among associates, clients, customers, visitors, neighbors, surrounding communities, business associates, regulatory agencies, and the general public regarding Delaware North Companies' environmental issues; and
Strive to make a positive environmental contribution to the communities where Delaware North Companies operates.

For more information, click here.

Solar Power

The Cardinals partnered with Microgrid Energy, the Electrical Connection, and Sachs Electric, to bring solar energy to Busch Stadium. Fans attending the games will enjoy food, beverage and retail shops powered by 106 solar panels, producing approximately 32,000 kilowatt hours of solar energy per year.

The two solar arrays are located on the roof of the ticket building on Clark Street and atop a canopy in the left centerfield bleachers at the Ford Family Plaza. To raise awareness of solar energy, an educational kiosk providing information about the project and solar energy in general is being installed in Ford Family Plaza.

The Electrical Connection is a partnership of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local One and the St. Louis Chapter, National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA).

The solar panels - manufactured by Schott Solar in the U.S. - produce electricity that feeds into the stadium's electrical distribution system and mixes with the power from the grid for use throughout the stadium. There are no batteries and all the energy produced is used in the stadium. The solar energy will offset the grid power used by stadium operations, reducing electrical bills. Although the offset is a relatively small percentage of the stadium's power use, it will result in a large amount of savings over the life of the system.

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FOR A GREENER GAME

Green Week

Join the Green Team!

Help to make a difference!

Accomplishments

2011 Objectives

Delaware North Companies - Green Path

Solar Power

News & Announcements

Partners

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