2018 was a banner year for the Philadelphia Eagles, on the field and off.
Off the field, the Eagles further burnished their reputation as Green-Sports pioneers by earning ISO 20121 (sustainable events) and LEED Gold certifications.
For those reasons, Philadelphia earned GreenSportsBlog’s BEST TEAM ON/GREENEST TEAM OFF FIELD designation for 2018, sharing it with MLS champions Atlanta United. Eagles Team President Don Smolenski offered a reaction.
Recycling and composting: Since 2003, the Eagles’ recycling and composting programs have diverted close to 4,000 tons of waste from landfills. These include the installation of two bio-digesters to help decompose pre-consumer food waste.
Water conservation: Management installed 15 water filtration fountains at both Lincoln Financial Field and the nearby NovaCare (training) Complex, eliminating the use of more than 154,000 water bottles since 2015.
Reforestation: In partnership with The Conservation Fund, 100 percent of all team travel is offset through the “Go Zero” program, which is focused on tree planting and reforestation funding. Since 2007, the team has planted more than 5,900 trees, including at the 6.5 acre “Eagles Forest” in Bensalem, PA.
This year, the team was rewarded three times for its stellar for green performance.
In June, the Eagles became the first professional sports team to achieve ISO 20121 certification, an international standard designed to help organizations in the events and hospitality industry integrate sustainability into management practices and processes. The Linc followed that up in December with an upgrade from LEED Silver to LEED Gold from the U.S. Green Building Council.
And last week, GreenSportsBlog added the BEST TEAM ON/GREENEST TEAM OFF FIELD award to the Eagles trophy case. It honors the team for its Super Bowl LII win as well as its sustainability excellence. They share the award with Atlanta United, winners of the 2018 MLS Cup.