With the Domestic Violence issue in the NFL rightly grabbing back and front pages these days, (much) less dramatic Green-Sports stories are finding it tough to get oxygen.

That’s why GreenSportsBlog is here with a News And Notes column, including a much-needed positive NFL story and our first-ever post on Dog Shows!

FIRST-EVER SOCCER PITCH POWERED BY PLAYERS’ FOOTSTEPS

A soccer field powered by the kinetic energy created by the movements of the players was unveiled last week in Morro da Mineira, a Rio de Janeiro, Brazil favela.

Mike Hower details how the power (pun intended) of this breakthrough technology goes beyond the pitch in a story in Sustainable Brands. Money quote: “The energy is…stored and combined with the power generated by solar panels next to the field to convert into renewable electricity for the new floodlights, giving everyone in the favela a safe and secure community space at night.“ (ITALS my emphasis).
Promoted by none other than Pelé, the project, developed “by a grant recipient of the UK Shell LiveWIRE, serves as a catalyst for young entrepreneurs and students to develop enterprising ideas into viable and sustainable businesses.”

Shell, through its #marketthefuture STEM education program, was the prime funder of Morro da Miniera field. While Shell, one of the biggest oil companies in the world, can certainly be seen as a major source of the greenhouse gas emissions-based problems humanity faces, I think it’s fair to point out the work they’re doing to, at least in a small way, offset the damage they (and their customers like you and me) are causing.

Pelé, arguably the greatest soccer player ever, greets local Pelé-wannabees, at the inauguration of the new football pitch, powered by kinetic energy generated by footsteps, in the Morro de Miniera favela in Rio. (Photo Credit: Yasuyoshi Chiba, Getty Images)

EDWARD JONES STADIUM IN ST. LOUIS OFFERS SUSTAINABLY RAISED MEAT

Ecocentric, a terrific blog about “food, water and energy” from the non-profit Grace Communications Foundation, highlights the forward-thinking-ness of the NFL’s St. Louis Rams as they have become the league’s first club to offer sustainably raised, high-animal-welfare hot dogs and burgers to fans.

As blogger James Saracini points out, what makes this story especially cool is that former Rams linebacker and current sideline reporter Will Witherspoon, owner of the sustainably-run Shire Gate Farm in Owensville, MO, is the supplier of said hot dogs and burgers.

Shire Gate’s meats are “certified by Animal Welfare Approved, the most stringent certifier of farms in the US. To meet AWA’s exacting criteria, farms must meet high animal welfare and environmental standards, including being raised on pasture, and must not rely on hormones, growth promoters or non-therapeutic antibiotics.”
DOG SHOW IN BRITISH COLUMBIA GOES ZERO-WASTE

GreenSportsBlog has, over the last year or so, chronicled the increasing number of sports teams, venues and organizations going “Zero-Waste” (diverting at least 90% of waste from landfill), including Safeco Field, home of the Seattle Mariners and Ohio State University football.

And, while Zero-Waste baseball and football stadia are certainly high-profile steps in the right direction, you know that Zero-Waste has reached a tipping point of sorts when Dog Shows decide to go that route!

That’s just what happened at this summer’s Pacific Kennel Club Dog Show in Surrey, BC. Waste Management Canada provided important environmental and sustainability intelligence for the event that drew 300-500 people each day. In addition to the now-expected bins for recycling, compost,and paper/cardboard, fans and dog-owners also saw separate bags for, well, “dog poop”.

Now, we will know that the Zero-Waste Dog Show movement (pun intended) has attained critical mass if big-time events like the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show at Madison Square Garden move in that direction. So far, there’s been no indication this is the case.

Receptacles for dog poop sit alongside the more traditional waste receptacles at the 2014 Pacific Kennel Club Dog Show in Surrey, BC. Collecting waste from the Show’s participants helped The Club, assisted by Waste Management Canada, to attain Zero-Waste status. (Photo Credit: Waste Management Canada)

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