For years, there have been rumblings throughout Philadelphia Eagles fans calling for a return to the “retro” kelly-green uniforms of their past, wanting to forgo the flock’s current midnight green attire. At the start of a new era in Eagles football with Chip Kelly at the helm, that rumbling has only gotten louder, and more appropriate, given the head coach’s last name.
It remains to be seen if the Eagles decide to make any changes to their uniform hue, but they are certainly committed to going green when it comes to their facilities.
With the addition of solar panels to Lincoln Financial Field and some of the surrounding parking lots (much to the dismay of K-lot tailgaters), and wind turbines atop the stadium, 100% of the Eagles operations are now powered by sun and wind—up 50% from 2007.
And the Eagles haven’t stopped with just their power sources. The hot dogs and Philly cheese steaks fans scarf down during each game are packaged in compostable wrapping, along with napkins made from recycled paper. Cooking oil is converted into bio-diesel fuel. Efforts are made to conserve water throughout the stadium, with a sign hanging as a reminder, saying, “The only water we waste here is sweat.”
The Eagles owner, Jeffrey Lurie, began their go-green campaign in 2003. Since then, the team secured a deal with NRG Energy to build and own the solar panels on the stadium. In return, the Eagles purchase their power from them for a fixed period of time. NRG has similar deals with the Washington Redskins, New England Patriots, New York Giants/Jets, and San Francisco 49ers as well.
The Eagles benefit from the cost-savings from reducing energy, water, and waste. And overall, their environmentally-friendly tactics paint the organization in a positive light—one they desperately need, given the past few disaster seasons from the players on the field, who are less-effective in their mission—in green.