1st and Green: Super Bowl Environmental Challenge
Indianapolis is ground zero for the 2012 Super Bowl featuring the New England Patriots and the New York Giants and all eyes are on the host city. 1st and Green is an environmental challenge hoping to cash in on the Super Bowl excitement by motivating individuals, households and teams to live more eco-consciously while promoting the city’s green initiatives in place for the sports-themed festivities.
Earning Points Through an Online Community
Turning off the water while brushing teeth and taking shorter showers are a few simple ways to make an eco-impact and the program rewards you for these activities. The program also acknowledges carpooling and reusable groceries bags. Do you use a reusable water bottle? Well, you’ll be able to log every time you refill your bottle. And if your family planted a tree than go ahead and add that to the list of Earth-friendly activities in which you’re taking part.
Watch the Ticker Total Climb
Individuals, households and teams can watch two tickers grow, one for carbon impact and the other for water saving. The exciting part is seeing how much of an impact some of the simplest activities make. Green living becomes even more concrete when seeing the pounds of carbon being offset and the gallons of water being saved.
How Can You Make an Impact
The site not only tracks your green living, it also offers helpful suggestions for ways to make and even greater impact. Whether packing a lunch, biking to work or sealing your home for energy efficiency, the site will help anyone become more green savvy. Once you input your daily green deeds you can share them on Facebook helping promote the activity and also reminding others how easy it is to help Mother Earth.
What Is Indianapolis Doing to Green the Super Bowl
The 1st and Green Site allows readers to see what’s being done to promote a green Super Bowl. Indianapolis, as the host city, is taking environmentally conscious promotion seriously. Food from related events will not go to waste, but will instead be given to local shelters and other social service organizations. Recycling will be used to keep items out of landfills and Super Bowl materials will be donated to non-profits or sold at low costs to keep them from being thrown away. The city is also promoting a composting program to help lower the amount of organic items thrown out. Instead, the material will be composted at the GreenCycle facility.
Have Fun While Making an Impact
Even if you can’t attend the Super Bowl you can still take part in some of the fun. Have your family get active as a household or get some friends together from work to make a game out of it. Hopefully the habits acquired will continue long after we find out if the Patriots or the Giants have earned the honor of 2012 Super Bowl champions.
{cc photo courtesy of Hawk Eyes on Flickr}