The Eagles Soar for the Planet!

Before I start, I have to say I'm really sorry for disappearing. I've been completely overwhelmed with school, internships and my job and completely neglected my blog, my baby! This blog is so important to me and I never wanted to rush just for the sake of posting something. So, instead of half-assing it, I took a short break....

Needless to say, I'm back and feeling more motivated than ever! I've made a pact with myself to make time for this blog every week no matter what. Now that I've cleared my conscious, I think it's time to get back to the green sports!

For those of you who don't know me, I'm a huge Philadelphia Eagles fan. I know, I know, I'm from New York but it's true. The only real explanation I can offer is my childhood friend Jeremy. If you met him, you'd understand why. His enthusiasm is literally contagious! Not to mention he has some pretty awesome halftime dance moves!

Anyway, I'm beyond excited to see the Eagles play the 49ers on Sunday. I know I'm going to be one of the only people rooting for them at Candlestick Park, BUT in my opinion, the Eagles are a team that all sports fans should root for. Not because they are awesome (which they are!) but because they are one of the greenest teams on the planet -- and I don't mean their jerseys!

In 2003, the owners, Christina and Jeffrey Lurie launched the Eagles "Go Green" campaign. The campaign's mission is to, "create and sustain championship performance on the field and in the community through practices that promote the quality of life, green the environment, and improve one's impact on the planet."

So what resulted from this ground-breaking campaign? MAJOR TOUCHDOWNS FOR THE ENVIRONMENT!

Since the list is so extensive, I've decided to just give you a rundown of some of the best.

So here are the Eagles top Green Game Changers....

2003:

The Eagles launch their Go Green campaign, an unprecedented committed to the environment by a professional sports team.

2004:

The Eagles work with the NRDC to improve their Go Green campaign which, led to some very innovative, sustainable practices such as...

Recycling cooking fat for conversion to biodiesel & powering the stadium scoreboard with solar energy panels.

2005:

The Eagles and St. Louis Rams play in the first ever "climate-neutral" game in NFL history!
-Both teams offset all of the greenhouse gas emissions from the day's stadium operations.

2006:

The Eagles lead by example and encourage stadium vendors join their green team!
-Aramark switched from plastic to corn-based products, which biodegrade within 45 days....SCORE!
-In football terms, the amount of plastic that would fill half of a football field is diverted from landfill thanks to the switch.

2007:

The Eagles partner with the PPL Corporation and install solar panels at their work and practice facility to convert energy from the sun into electricity.
-The solar innovation was the first of its kind in Pennsylvania!

The Eagles become the first organization to reimburse employees who sign up for Wind Energy.
-That means no out-of-pocket cost for employees who opt to go green!

2008:

The Philadelphia Eagles become the first NFL team to operate solely on clean energy!
-They purchased 15 million kilowatts of wind power to allow the team to run on 100% renewable energy at both Lincoln Financial Field and their training facilities.

2009:

With the help of the Conservation Fund, the Eagles offset 100% of the greenhouse gas generated by team travel by planting trees in the Eagles Forest. Oh yeah, they have a forest!

100% of the Eagles football and corporate operations were powered by renewable energy from the sun and wind.

2010:

The Eagles make their annual contribution to the "Go Zero Program" to offset their carbon emissions for the 2010 regular season.
-The contribution supports the planting of 563 bottomland hardwood seedlings at Lake Ophelia National Wildlife Refuge in Louisiana.

As you can see, the Eagles are serious about going green and really are a team scoring points for the planet. They even have a place on their website to help Eagles fans offset their travel to the games! You should definitely check out the Eagles Go Green website for all of the other ways they've gone green because they're doing some pretty amazing things.

GO EAGLES and GO GREEN!!!!!!!!!!