MetLife Stadium, set to host the upcoming Super Bowl XLVIII, is the first stadium in the world to earn the title of Certified Green Restaurant® stadium from the Green Restaurant Association (GRA), exceeding its certification standards.
With a full, game-day seating capacity of 82,500, MetLife Stadium is one of the largest stadiums in the NFL. Operated by foodservice partner Delaware North Companies Sportservice, the stadium has over 200 on-site restaurants servicing up to 100,000 people a day and is the largest food-service operation ever to receive GRA certification.
Talk about making the most out your resources: MetLife is the only active venue to serve as the home stadium for two NFL teams, hosting 20 NFL games per season — more than any other stadium.
The GRA worked with Delaware North to implement 61 sustainability measures at MetLife Stadium, including:
- All waste kitchen oil is being converted to biodiesel fuel
- Composting all kitchen scraps
- Donating all leftover food
- Recycling cardboard, plastic, glass, aluminum and paper
- Use of ENERGY STAR equipment
- Installation of waterless urinals, touchless sensor faucets, 1/2-gallon faucet aerators, and low water landscaping
- Eliminating all polystyrene foam containers
"This achievement sets the environmental bar for stadiums and sporting events the world over,” said Michael Oshman, CEO and Founder of the GRA.
MetLife also has achieved ISO 14001 certification, a set of criteria for an environmental management system that maps out a framework a company or organization can follow to set up an effective environmental management system. It can be used by any organization that wants to improve resource efficiency, reduce waste and drive down costs. Earning GRA certification, coupled with becoming ISO 14001 certified means that the upcoming Super Bowl could be the “greenest” ever.
"From the very beginning, our Owners committed to build and operate one of the most environmentally responsible stadiums in the National Football League," said Brad Mayne, MetLife Stadium president and CEO. "We thank our partners at Delaware North for their efforts in helping MetLife Stadium become the first Certified Green Restaurant® stadium in the world."
In other NFL stadium sustainability news, last month the Cleveland Browns announced a new program to divert all stadium food waste away from landfills for conversion by anaerobic digestion into biofuel to power the city. The implementation of the system at FirstEnergy Stadium will divert 35 tons of food waste from landfills every season, reduce CO2 emissions by 28,000 pounds per year, generate enough electricity to power a single-family home for a year and a half, produce enough natural gas to heat 32 homes for an entire month and recover enough nutrients for three football fields’ worth of new crops at nearby farms.
And Levi Stadium, future home of the San Francisco 49ers, is being built from the ground up with sustainability in mind. For example, a low-CO2 formula concrete is being used for the auger cast piles and the overall stadium structure. Traditional concrete has a large carbon footprint resulting from the energy used in production as well as the byproduct emissions. Some estimates suggest at least five percent of humanity's carbon footprint currently comes from the concrete industry.
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Founder & Principal Consultant, Hower Impact
Mike Hower is the founder of Hower Impact — a boutique consultancy delivering best-in-class strategic communication advisory and support for corporate sustainability, ESG and climate tech.
Published Jan 14, 2014 10am EST / 7am PST / 3pm GMT / 4pm CET