Earth Day
Arizona Diamondbacks
The Arizona Diamondbacks' Break a Bat, Plant a Tree, supported by Budweiser, is an important sustainability initiative for “D-backs Give Back.” Each time a D-backs pitcher breaks the bat of an opposing player, the Arizona Diamondbacks Foundation will make a charitable contribution to provide trees in the community. Since 2014, the D-backs and our partners have helped plant more than 550 trees through the program.
Atlanta Braves
On Earth Day, the Atlanta Braves will highlight their sustainability efforts with a focus on the Club’s food waste recovery/diversion program in partnership with Second Helpings. WestRock, which supports the Braves with recycling efforts each year by taking produced cardboard, paper, aluminum and plastic to their facility, will host their employee appreciation night at Truist Park that night. WestRock’s “green team” volunteers will be at four games this season to help collect recycling between innings. The Braves will host a ceremony to install an educational plaque for Maggie, the seedling at Truist Park taken from the 100 year-old Magnolia tree that grew in the outfield of the home to the Minor Leagues' Atlanta Crackers and Negro American League’s Atlanta Black Crackers. The organization will also supply all front office staff with high-end reusable water bottles to help reduce the use of plastic.
Baltimore Orioles
In recognition of Earth Day, the Orioles and the Orange & Black Gives Back employee volunteer program will spend the morning of April 21 working in The Oriole Garden, a 10,000-square-foot pollinator garden at Camden Yards that provides valuable wildlife habitat for Baltimore’s birds, bees and butterflies. Volunteers will work to clean up the garden and prepare the beds for another beautiful season of continuous blooms.
Chicago Cubs
Continuing on the Chicago Cubs’ commitment during the 1060 Project to execute more sustainability initiatives, the Cubs will partner with the American Conservation Coalition and The Urban Canopy on several initiatives for Earth Day, including composting food waste from the AeroVanti Suite Level and activating a “green team” in the Budweiser Bleachers to divert additional mixed recycling from the waste stream.
Chicago White Sox
On the heels of donating more than 8,000 pounds of food to local non-profits on average each season, the White Sox and concessions partner Delaware North Sportservice introduced a composting program for kitchen production food waste in 2023. With help from local woman-owned Collective Resource Compost (CRC), the program will divert more than 12,000 pounds of food waste to commercial composting sites across Chicagoland. Additionally, in celebration of Earth Day, Delaware North will donate $1 from every Bee’s Harvest Margarita sale in April to The Bee Cause Project, helping save one of the planet’s most precious pollinators. The club will showcase its greening initiatives on its social channels and blog, highlighting key milestones, such as:
- Offering more than 500,000 reusable aluminum cups to replace plastic and paper alternatives;
- Creating an average yearly energy savings of more than 926,000 kWh with retrofitted LED light fixtures at Guaranteed Rate Field;
- Diverting more than 90% of all cardboard waste from landfills each season.
The White Sox will continue sustainability conversations leading into the organization’s Arbor Day Celebration, presented by the Morton Arboretum, on April 23. In addition to a special ticket offer for Arbor Day fans, the day will include videoboard trivia and lucky row passes for fans to visit The Morton Arboretum. The two organizations also will share the story of an approximately 120-year-old cottonwood tree positioned near the site of Old Comiskey Park.
Cincinnati Reds
The Reds are continuing their recycling program in 2023, which includes on-site cardboard baling, comingled recycling and e-waste. The Reds have worked with the ballpark’s energy supplier to provide Great American Ball Park with 25% renewable energy, and all ballpark lighting is now LED, including field lights. Concessionaire Delaware North is partnering with the “Last Mile Food Rescue” organization to deliver unused ballpark food to local nonprofit agencies. Delaware North team members have been collecting bottle caps for Earth Connection’s “Bottle Caps to Benches” project.
Cleveland Guardians
This Earth Day the Cleveland Guardians will continue their recently announced Guardians Swing for the Trees program. In partnership with Davey Tree Expert Company, the Guardians have pledged to plant a tree for every home run hit at Progressive Field this season. Additionally, the Guardians will plant 130 trees from last season’s initiative this spring. The Guardians will continue their efforts to promote recycling. Currently, the Guardians recycle paper, cardboard, plastic bottles, aluminum cans and scrap metal. They are responsible for recycling more than 300 tons of material a year. The Guardians recycle more than 15,000 pounds of fryer oil that is converted into biofuel each year. The Guardians will also continue composting work through their partnerships with Quasar Energy and Grind 2 Energy to grind food scraps to be converted to energy. Through anaerobic digestion, methane gas is extracted from the compost and sold to Cleveland Public Power. The remaining solution is used as fertilizer in large fields. Additionally, nearly 100 tons of food per season is collected from Progressive Field. This equates to:
- Enough methane gas to heat 45 homes
- Enough electricity to power a home for 897 days
- 132,000 miles off the road
Colorado Rockies
The Colorado Rockies celebrated Earth Day at Coors Field on April 19, highlighted by a pregame check presentation to One Tree Planet to help plant trees throughout the Front Range. Rockies pitcher Brent Suter and infielder Ryan McMahon have also partnered with Players for the Planet, with Suter pledging to plant 75 trees for every Rockies win in 2023. The Rockies also established a sustainability committee to review, create and implement sustainability efforts at Coors Field with a focus on significantly increasing the diversion rate at the ballpark.
Houston Astros
In honor of Earth Day, the Houston Astros will host two tree distributions in the greater Houston area in partnership with Trees for Houston. The first tree distribution will take place at Blue Triangle YMCA at 9 a.m. on April 22. The second tree distribution will begin at 10 a.m. on April 22 at Young Women’s College Preparatory Academy; 20 trees will also be planted at the school during the event. The Astros gave a portion of the proceeds from the 50/50 Share2Care raffle during the game on Wednesday, April 19, against the Blue Jays to Trees for Houston in honor of Earth Day.
Los Angeles Angels
In celebration of Earth Day, the Angels will reactivate the Green Team, which is dedicated to promote the sustainability and recycling program at Angel Stadium. The objective of the Angels Green Team is to help increase recycling rates at Angel Stadium, encourage fans to become aware of the environmental impact and enhance the organization’s connection to our community’s recycling program. Starting on April 22 and going forward on select game days, the Green Team will go around parts of the stadium to ask for empty bottles and cans that they can collect between inning breaks during the first seven innings of the game. In 2022, the Angels and its fans recycled over 188 tons of stadium materials, including aluminum cans, plastic bottles, cardboard, paper, scrap metals and electronic waste. In addition, the Angels, together with Legends Hospitality, will continue to procure their food ingredients for their restaurants and concessions stands from local suppliers in Southern California. By shortening delivery journeys, the impact on the environment is lessened and it reduces the overall waste of delivery packaging, as well as the amount of food wasted. The team also participates in the City of Anaheim’s Food Scraps Recycling program in which food scraps from the stadium kitchens are collected and converted into biofuels using a process called anaerobic digestion, thus reducing the amount of methane that is created in local landfills.
Milwaukee Brewers
On Earth Day, members of the Brewers front office staff will be participating in a cleanup event along the Hank Aaron Trail near American Family Field as part of the Milwaukee Riverkeeper annual Earth Day spring cleanup. The Brewers and SC Johnson have partnered on a unique recycling program at American Family Field since 2021, in which specially-branded cups have been collected in designated recycling bins and will be upcycled into SC Johnson Scrubbing Bubbles™ bottles. All existing metal halide field lighting has been replaced with Musco LED sport field lights at American Family Field, reducing the number of lighting fixtures by almost 50% and resulting in 30% less energy consumption. Additionally, 200-plus recycling bins -- each made from recycled milk jugs -- are in place throughout American Family Field, and ballpark staff ‘double-picks’ the seating bowl following each game, collecting recyclable materials first and then landfill items. In 2022, the Brewers launched the Brewers Sustainability Council, an effort led by founding partner SC Johnson to create an advisory board to review, discuss and implement best sustainability practices at American Family Field. The powerhouse group is joined in support by several Brewers partners and outside organizations.
New York Yankees
In 2019, the New York Yankees became the first professional North American sports team to sign the UN Sports for Climate Action Framework, the aim of which is to bring sports-related greenhouse emissions in line with the Paris Climate Change Agreement and inspire others to take ambitious climate action. The Yankees are committed to responsible greenhouse gas management and serve on the UN’s Sport for Climate Change Steering Committee. New York Yankees’ efforts to adopt best practices have been led by Dr. Allen Hershkowitz, former Senior Scientist at the Natural Resources Defense Council, who is the organization’s environmental science advisor. The Yankees are the first professional sports team to appoint an environmental science advisor, a position that serves to deepen our organization’s commitment to authentic environmentally friendlier practices and community-wide awareness. Reporting to the Yankees' senior vice president for stadium operations, Dr. Hershkowitz helps evaluate and guide environmental initiatives for the Yankees and Yankee Stadium, with a primary focus on the areas of energy use, waste management, water conservation and food service.
More recently, the Yankees are implementing a major energy-saving enhancement of the Stadium’s HVAC chiller technology, and during the most recent offseason, the Yankees installed energy-efficient LED lighting at its spring training home, George M. Steinbrenner Field, in Tampa. In 2022, the Yankees also partnered with Tower Farms and the Green Bronx Machine to unveil the first-ever Tower Garden at Yankee Stadium. The structure, located inside the Stadium’s Gate 2 entrance, uses the vertical, aeroponic garden system of Tower Farms, allowing for the growth of healthy, fresh produce that requires fewer resources than traditional farming. In addition, the garden is used to provide a hands-on learning experience for students taking part in the “New York Yankees Healthy Home Plate Program,” which the team has been proudly conducting since 2011. Items grown in that space are also served to fans in select menu items, most notably in salads found at Yankee Stadium “grab-and-go” locations.
Over the last four years the Yankees have been collaborating with the International WELL Building Institute (IWBI), which has awarded Yankee Stadium the WELL Health-Safety Rating for Facility Operations and Management. “Good Health and Well-Being" is UN Sustainable Development Goal No. 3, and the WELL Health and Safety rating requirements, the sports industry’s most rigorous health and safety rating for venues, serve as a blueprint for best operating procedures to help combat COVID-19 and other infectious diseases, while also providing world-class standards for overall health and safety for fans and team employees, including players and field staff. In 2020, Yankee Stadium became the first sports and entertainment venue in the world to receive the WELL Health and Safety Rating designation.
Oakland Athletics
The Oakland Athletics will celebrate Earth Day on Saturday, April 29, during their game against the Cincinnati Reds. The A’s are offering 15% off tickets via a special link. Partial proceeds will benefit the Goodwill of the San Francisco Bay’s mission to equip low-income individuals and those with barriers with the skills required to succeed in the 21st-century job market. The A's will also host an e-waste drive in conjunction with Goodwill of the San Francisco Bay. There will be a total of three locations near stadium entry gates for fans to donate electronics and approved equipment. Fans who donate will receive ticket vouchers for that day’s game or a future game. Additionally, the A’s Green Committee will host local sustainability organizations, giving them a chance to table and promote what they are doing in the community to fans. The Green Expo 2023 will be located on the Championship Plaza and will run from house opening at 11:35 a.m. until the third inning. In-game promotion of the Oakland As greening initiatives will include videos highlighting the following programs:
- A’s Farm
- A’s/Aramark/ASM Global Composting and Recycling Program
- Volta EV Charging Stations
- Green Expo
- E-Waste Drive
- Trees for Oakland at 66th Entrance
The in-game video will run on the scoreboard during the pregame and during inning breaks. Tickets are available for purchase at mlb.com/athletics/tickets.
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pirates will take part in the Earth Day Tailgate in connection with Pittsburgh Earth Day. The Pirate Parrot, the Pierogis and the Bucco Brigade will make an appearances at various sustainability events in Pittsburgh prior to the Pirates Earth Day. In partnership with the University of Pittsburgh Mascaro Center for Sustainable Innovation, the Pirates will activate a green team for Earth Day on April 22. The green team will help raise awareness about the importance of recycling and sustainable practices. Renewable energy credits will be provided on Earth Day in connection with the Pirates partnership through Energy Harbor.
San Diego Padres
The Downtown San Diego Partnership and Clean & Safe are partnering with the San Diego Padres on Sunday, April 30, to celebrate Earth Day with a community cleanup event in East Village. They will beautify the area surrounding the San Diego Central Library by cleaning up and planting new trees. Both Tree San Diego and Republic Services will be joining to kick off the day with educational resources and tips on sustainability, composting, the benefits of planting trees and more.
Additionally, the San Diego Padres are dedicated to sustainability and continue their efforts with Petco Park’s chilled water plant, environmental features and solar energy, as well as its clean, renewable energy. The Padres partnered with Ecosystem to provide the stadium’s own chiller plant that will decrease water use, provide annual savings of more than $1 million and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by roughly 700 tons per year.
Through a new partnership with San Diego Community Power in 2022, Petco Park became the first National League ballpark to run completely off clean, renewable energy. An agreement with the Environmental Health Coalition comprehensively addressed issues of air and water quality, urban runoff, removal of hazardous materials and use of pesticides and toxic chemicals in the construction and operation of the ballpark.
Progressive recycling and waste management programs help make Petco Park one of the greenest ballparks in Major League Baseball. Prior to the 2018 season, the Padres and Petco Park continued their efforts as industry leaders in energy sustainability with the installation of a 336,520-watt Sullivan Solar Power system. The project consisted of 716 high-efficiency, 470-watt solar modules and will generate 330 kilowatts of solar power, enough to power the entire Padres front office. The solar power system serves as the largest solar power system in Major League Baseball.
San Francisco Giants
As a pioneer in environmental stewardship, the San Francisco Giants are dedicated to making sustainability a top priority every Earth Day and beyond, which is evident across the organization’s legacy green initiatives, including programs in recycling, solar power, energy efficiency, water conservation, food recovery, public transit and more. Thirteen-time Green Glove Award winner, Oracle Park remains the first and only Major League ballpark to receive all three U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) certifications: platinum (2019), gold (2015) and silver (2010) for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) for Existing Buildings, Operations and Maintenance (EBOM).
The Giants remain one of the single largest contributors to the San Francisco Compost Program, and continue to set industry records with their waste diversion programs centered on recycling and composting. The ballpark’s biological nutrition program utilizes beneficial bacteria and fungi as well as an integrated pest management system to significantly reduce the use of unhealthy pesticides while promoting and maintaining healthy soil and turf. Turf management is supported by advanced drone imagery helping to direct the decision-making for highly sustainable water and fertilizing processes. LED field lights and sustainable field irrigation practices substantially reduce energy consumption and water usage. Solar arrays reduce the usage of gasoline, charcoal and propane. Cutting-edge anaerobic towers (The Garden) grow fresh vegetation, eventually served at concession stands throughout the ballpark. With year-round activity at Oracle Park, including hundreds of baseball games and events, the long legacy of environmental responsibility is representative of the Giants commitment to enriching communities through excellence on and off the field.
In celebration of Earth Day on April 22 at Oracle Park, former Giants player Hunter Pence will formally launch the newly formed nonprofit Healthy Planet Project, focused on sustainability, reducing and preventing pollution and creating a cleaner environment in the Bay Area. Pence will partner with local organizations and the Giants to clean up the city, fight climate change and raise awareness for local environmental initiatives. The campaign prioritizes creating a healthier and more resilient Bay Area, planting trees to create a healthier climate for all, improving parks and public spaces, organizing youth activities and educational programs and promoting climate-conscious practices to minimize pollution. The Healthy Planet Project launch will begin with a volunteer event focused on neighborhood cleanups in San Francisco and will culminate with awareness and community building at the Giants game. Additionally, the Giants will light Oracle Park green in honor of Earth Day using external lights around the ballpark.
Washington Nationals
Winners of three straight NL East Green Glove Awards, the Washington Nationals became the first MLB ballpark to install Reverse Vending Machines in August 2022, with two machines having recycled thousands of items since then. New in 2023, the Nationals are teaming up with WGL Energy and Chesapeake Bay Foundation to plant trees for every Nationals run scored at home. The Nationals continue to harvest hundreds of pounds of food from the ballpark’s rooftop garden, which is distributed to local communities. Additionally, 31,563 milk jugs have been repurposed into outdoor furniture throughout Nationals Park, and prior to the 2023 season, the Nationals playing field was also recycled, creating 680 tons of topsoil to be used in other community projects.
In April 2022, Nationals Park successfully achieved Environmental Facility Certification through the Sports Field Managers Association. This certification is a voluntary process and was developed to document the environmental stewardship of SFMA members and the facilities in which they work. The Nationals' field management staff recognized the importance of completing this certification to further showcase the organization’s efforts of maintaining their natural grass playing field and the surrounding areas of the ballpark with environmental best management practices in mind.
