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Thinking Green While Enjoying America’s Favorite Pastime

For the second Sunday in a row I’ve had to vacate the couch in order to make room for football. Football has been America’s most popular sport for 47 years, and whether you’re a Jets fan, a Patriots fan, or a Saints fan, Sunday is Football Day.

Though most people enjoy games from their couch, the act of tailgating is almost as big of a tradition as the game itself. With close to 100,000 people attending each game, that’s a lot of people tailgating. This means a lot of trash and possible environmental impact. Below is a list of tips I’ve acquired to reduce the impact of tailgating:

-Use reusable coolers, disposable ones made from Styrofoam can take up to a million years to decompose in landfills.

-Use reusable utensils, 40 Billion pieces are thrown away each year after only one use.

-Buy in bulk, bigger sizes often use less packaging.

-Consider buying locally grown and organic food items.

-Carpool or take advantage of game day shuttles.

-If you plan on using red solo cups for your beer or games Solo Cup Company has a line of cups made from recycled cups that are made from recycled PET.

-BBQ/Grill tips: If you have a charcoal grill opt for lump charcoal or all natural briquettes. A cleaner option is to use a propane grill, and even cleaner then that is an electric grill.

-Try using a solar powered outlet to power your small electronics like the radio.

-Make sure to recycle your trash after you are done tailgating. Be sure to bring separate bags/containers to separate your trash from recyclables.

For additional articles relating to the NFL and Sustainability:

http://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/nfl-champion-sustainability

http://www.justmeans.com/blogs/greening-the-nfl-bringing-sustainability-to-stadiums

Tail gaiters via Shutterstock

by Maddie Perlman-Gabel

Thursday, September 19th, 2013 at 07:58
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