Press Release: St. Louis Cardinals Go Green
The following is a press release from the St. Louis Cardinals:
CARDINALS ANNOUNCE 2nd ANNUAL GREEN WEEK AT BUSCH
WEEK’S EVENTS (April 19 – April 26) TO COMMERATE 41st ANNIVERSARY OF EARTH DAY
ST. LOUIS, April 14, 2011 – In celebration of the 41st anniversary of Earth Day, the St. Louis Cardinals will host their 2nd annual Green Week, April 19 through April 26, with activities designed to promote recycling, both inside and outside of Busch Stadium.
Monday, April 19 through Sunday, April 24 the Cardinals, in partnership with Shoeman Water Projects, will collect used and new shoes at the Busch Stadium gates. Fans are asked to clean out their closets of any unwanted shoes, tie or band them together and drop them in the designated shoe collection bags. Shoeman Water Projects creates clean drinking water for those in need by selling shoes to exporters for resale, using the money to purchase well-drilling rigs and water purification systems in developing countries.
Fans are also encouraged to donate new or gently used baseball and softball equipment at special bins located throughout Busch Stadium, as part of “Rawlings Replay.” All fans who make a donation will receive a 10 percent discount on Rawlings products at ShopRawlings.com. “Rawlings Replay,” which formally launched on Opening Day, supports Redbird Rookies, the flagship program of Cardinals Care, which provides disadvantaged youth with the opportunity to play baseball for free, as well as a variety of other support services.
Monday, April 25 and Tuesday, April 26, the Cardinals will host their 2nd annual e-cycling drive, in collaboration with Wits, A-Mrazek Moving, and The Partnership for Downtown St. Louis. Fans may drop off unused or unwanted electronic equipment at trailers in the Ballpark Village Parking Lot, located at the corner of Clark Street and South Broadway. No fees will apply and all electronics will be accepted in any condition. In return, the first 1,000 fans to donate each day will receive a voucher good for a discounted Cardinals ticket. The event will run from Noon to 6 p.m. on Monday and from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Tuesday. Fredbird and St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay will kick off the e-cycling drive by making the first donation, Monday, April 25 at 12.15 p.m. For more information, visit cardinals.com/greenweek or witsinc.org.
Lastly, with the help of Pure Power, the Cardinals will offset energy consumption by purchasing renewable energy credits (recs) for the duration of Green Week. By purchasing 35MwH/recs per game for six days, the Cardinals will prevent 332,490 pounds of carbon dioxide from entering Missouri’s atmosphere, which equates to all 25 Cardinals players, nine coaches and Fredbird not driving their cars for six months.
Since the launch of the 4 A Greener Game initiative in 2008, the Cardinals have diverted about 1300 tons of solid waste from local landfills and Busch Stadium continues to become more energy efficient through participation in Ameren Missouri’s Business Energy Efficiency Program.
The team has reduced its energy use by 15% and its water use by 10% since the new stadium opened in 2006
o30% of the team’s waste was diverted from landfills in 2010
oOn average, four tons of trash are recycled at Busch Stadium each game.
o550 recycling bins are located throughout Busch Stadium.
For more information about Green Week, please visit cardinals.com/greenweek or for more information about the 4 A Greener Game initiative, please visit cardinals.com/green.
-STL-