I was able to get my second dose of the Covid vaccine this past week, which means I am counting down the last two weeks before achieving “freedom”. I still haven’t decided which restaurant I want to hit first that I have been missing for this past year +, but I was able to move towards checking off another item on my “Things to Do After Getting Vaccinated List”. The Charlotte Knights put tickets on sale for their few home days in May, and I was able to snag tickets for me and the family for a game on the 15th against the Norfolk Tide. Normally, I would try and pick a game that they were playing against a AAA affiliate of a MLB I was interested in, but in this case I was quite happy to jump at the first game that was available. I can almost taste the hot dog now, and I will be sure to share some pics of what will be a great night.
I also came across a fun article in Fast Company that actually has me celebrating a professional sports team based in Philadelphia, which I did not think would ever be possible. I mean, I get that if you are from Philly you probably cheer for those teams, but we all know no one else is – you guys booed Santa Claus for pete’s sake.
Anway, you can read the full article here, as Subaru Park in Philadelphia, where the Philadelphia Union of MLS play, will be the first zero-landfill stadium in MLS. In 2019 the stadium produced more than 357,000 pounds of waste, and only 40,000 of that was diverted to recycling. However, this year they plan to divert 100% of that waste and they are rolling out a number of initiatives to make that happen. They are changing the types of containers given out to fans, actually changing the waste streams they are dealing with, and increasing the potential for recycling by fans.
The stadium has been able to leverage their naming rights partner (Subaru) to make this happen, as since 2004 all Subaru factories in the world have been zero-landfill, while manufacturing 1.1 million vehicles per year. I happen to own a Subaru, but I didn’t realize that their entire manufacturing was zero-landfill until I read this article. The focus will be on increasing the amount of items that can be recycled, adding disposal bins for compostable materials, and then finally the 10% of items that can’t be recycled or composted will be sent to a local waste to energy company that will generate electricity for the Philadelphia area with it.
I am going to have to add this to the list with the new Seattle Kraken arena as places I need to tour. Just to examine their “green” programs, any enjoyment from the actual sporting event will be coincidental.
The Free Range Viking
The Free Range Viking 