With all the recent coverage of the Olympics and political conventions, the US Open of Tennis in New York might have slipped below our radar. The event, which ends today, went green this year for the first time. Michelle Wilson, a spokesperson for the US Open, says that the organizers hired consultants to evaluate facilities and all operations to implement an eco friendly sports tournament. With over 700,000 spectators, this liklely was no small undertaking.
Green initiatives this year include upgrading efficiency in lighting and energy use, recycling of waste and other areas. Billie Jean King (after whom the tennis center is named) was a strong advocate of going green. The organizers gave out free Metrocards to increase the number of participants taking the subway (on average, 60 percent arrive by subway). 20 percent of the car fleet was hybrid this year and organizers hope to collect 500,000 plastic bottles for recycling. The organizers even reduced the number of servers that hold the high-traffic US Open website from 60 to 6, dropping the energy cost per visitor by 38 percent. Perhaps the World Series and Super Bowl can learn something from this strategy. Read more here.
Photo: Roger Federer, of Switzerland, reacts after winning point during the fourth set against Novak Djokovic, of Serbia, during their semifinal match at the U.S. Open tennis tournament in New York, Saturday, Sept. 6, 2008. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson) Via the Daily Green