1st & Green Helps Offset The Impact Of The 2012 Super Bowl

What is 1st & Green?

1st & Green is a web-based program developed to encourage individuals, households, and groups to make a difference in our environment by offsetting carbon emissions and saving water. 1st & Green participants can log everyday actions that add up to a big difference, such as turning off the water while brushing your teeth, taking shorter showers, carpooling, riding a bicycle or walking instead of driving, and using reusable bags and bottles instead of disposable items. The impact of planting trees can also be captured through 1st & Green.

Groups and individuals are invited to participate in the 1st & Green Challenge to see who can save the most water and carbon before the 2012 Super Bowl, with the contest ending on January 13, 2012 at 6 p.m. Groups can register in five categories: businesses, non-profits, government, schools K-12, and other groups. The winner in each group for carbon and water will be recognized on stage in the Village, the 10-day attraction on Georgia Street, during the week prior to the Super Bowl.

Changing Behaviors To Help The Environment

The 1st & Green program was developed by the 2012 Super Bowl Host Committee with support and input from the following organizations, most of which offer a significant amount of environment-related information on their websites. Please click on a name below to visit their site for information and additional programs offered in their specific business area.

Environmental Tips Providers

Prepared Food Recovery

The 2012 Indianapolis Super Bowl Host Committee has partnered with local non-profit organization Second Helpings to recover prepared foods from Super Bowl-related events. Second Helpings will pick up food items that have not been set out for public consumption and re-prepare them into nutritional meals, which will be distributed to Greater Indianapolis-area shelters, daycares, and other organizations.

Recycling

In addition to recycling programs at Lucas Oil Stadium and the Indiana Convention Center, the 2012 Indianapolis Super Bowl Host Committee is focusing on ensuring that recycling is available and visible in the Village, which will be the admission-free epicenter of activity on Georgia Street in downtown Indianapolis. The Recycling Team, made up of Super Bowl volunteers, as well as a local recycling services company, will maintain recycling facilities for the 10 day period that the Village is open to the public. Additionally, nearby restaurants and hotels will participate in recycling programs by collecting recyclables that will be picked up by volunteers.

Composting

The JW Marriott hotel, which will house the Media Center for the 2012 Super Bowl, is partnering with GreenCycle, Republic Waste Services, the Indiana Department of Environmental Management, the Indiana Recycling Coalition, and the 2012 Indianapolis Super Bowl Host Committee to participate in a composting pilot project during the week of the Super Bowl. Food waste scraps from the JW Marriott kitchens will be collected in compostable bags and conveyed to the GreenCycle facility, where they will be mixed with wood chips and converted into nutritious compost instead of being sent to the landfill.

Material Recovery and Donation

Materials such as banners, office supplies, decorative items, and other reusable materials will be collected and either donated to local non-profit organizations or made available at a modest cost as a thank you to our many volunteers. This will allow us to prevent many items from reaching the landfill that could otherwise find local homes.

Copyright © 2012 Indianapolis 1ST & GREEN

Click here for 1st & Green Challenge details|