Attack of the Green Monster
by Sean Fisher, Cincinnati, Ohio on 10.26.07
The new eco-friendly ballpark for the Washington Nationals, for example, could be the wave of the future. The stadium includes energy-efficient lighting, low-flow water features, and a 6300 square foot green roof that covers the concession area. But these green additions are small potatoes when it comes to the two truly revolutionary features of the ballpark.
For the 41,000 person stadium, the Nationals are setting aside less than 1300 parking spaces. A concerted effort with city planners will try to get folks to take the subway system to get to and from the games - negating what has to be the largest portion of carbon emissions, transportation to the game. The other cool feature is a water filtration system built directly underneath the stadium.
The system made of sand mimics wetlands by naturally filtering pollutants from the water. The filtration system also separates water used for cleaning the ballpark from rainwater that falls on the ballpark, treating both sources before releasing all the water to the sanitary and stormwater systems.
Now let's hope the Nationals baseball team can match the success of their new field.
::Via Sustainable Industries
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While the new Nationals Stadium does offer some nice green features, the parking situation is not one of them. The Nationals are leasing parking space at their old stadium, RFK, and then busing fans to the new stadium about 2 miles away. Unfortunately, this will increase overall emissions from vehicle travel. You can get the details here:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/10/23/AR2007102302226.html
The 1300 parking spaces at the actual stadium will, I'm sure, be reserved for corporate season ticket holders. The rest of us shlubs will have to take metro (what I'll be doing) or doubling up our emissions by driving in, parking, and getting on a shuttle bus.
One of the best ballpark experiences in the country is NY Yankee Stadium where the fans can pile into subways after the game and don't have to worry about traffic or DUI's. Leave the cars at home! Ride the rails!