In New Jersey there is an area called the Meadowlands. In the Meadowlands is Giants Stadium. This stadium is being torn down and a new one is being built in its place. To the locals this stadium means a lot, many famous events have been hosted here in addition to football, such as Bruce Springsteen concerts that will remain in our memories forever. The new stadium will host both the New York Giants and the New York Jets this upcoming season. The best part is that it is being built “greener” than ever before.
The EPA, who is partnering with both the Giants and the Jets, issued a press release announcing the new stadium. Some of the goals that they have worked out include cutting water use by 25%, increasing recycling by 25% and increasing construction recycling by 75%. They will also use 40,000 tons of recycled steel, and recycle 20,000 tons from the old stadium. The new seats will be made of recycled plastic and scrap iron. This stadium will also be 30% more efficient. Better still it is being build on a restored brownfield. You can just imagine the experience that these 80,000 fans will have.
Personally I think that this is a great solution in a time where many new stadiums are being built bigger and bigger. I think that it shows a lot of initiative for the two teams to contact the EPA to find ways to achieve common goals. In many cases economic incentives or other agreements need to be made in order to get an organization to fund a project in the proper manner, but here the teams took it upon themselves to do these things. The other great thing is that because they are taking proper precautions they should not damage any of the nearby wetlands that have been reestablished. These neighboring wetlands serve as a great refuge to many bird species, in an area where such lands are scarce. I am proud that the Giants and the Jets could come together to create a great project. All we have to do now is wait for kickoff.
I think it's fantastic that Meadowlands is embracing environmentally-friendly infrastructure; however, in spite of the benefits of the new "green" stadium, what about the effects of constructing an entirely new facility? Tearing down the old stadium will generate a large amount of waste and be very costly economically and environmentally. Even though much of the "new" stadium will be made of recycled materials, it's only solving surface problems concerning the environment. Underlying problems that threaten the environment are increased population and over consumption, so creating a new stadium is like trading a perfectly good car for a hybrid that requires more oil to produce than it can ever make up with emissions savings. We can't buy our way to a better future - instead we need to be content with what we have and strive for improvements through new infrastructure and renovations.
ReplyDeleteAlthough it is great that these green efforts are being made for construction of new buildings, Jessica makes a great point that there will be an enormous amount of waste produced and energy needed to make this project happen. With that being said, there has been evidence that professional sports owners have caught onto this idea. The Red Sox owners decided to update their current ballpark instead, preserving not only its historical allure but all its embodied energy. This was acknowledged by the city last year when it named Fenway one of its 12 greenest buildings.
ReplyDeleteIt seems that the vast majority of green construction work over the next several decades in MLB will also be renovation, not new construction. They are at the end of a massive building era and new buildings will need these green renovations in years to come.
MLB expects the renovation work to be done with a much higher consciousness to LEED certification than has ever been the case in years past.
This is just one example of how renovation can be seen as a more environmentally friendly choice than an entirely new stadium built from the ground up.