Green Options

When you think of Gatorade and green, you probably think of that neonish color in the beverage. Maybe something along the lines of what Steelers coach Mike Tomlin got doused with last night. But the sports drink maker is also using solar power at a factory in Arizona to reduce reliance on the electric grid and control costs.

The Arizona Republic reports that Gatorade installed a 500-kilowatt solar system occupying more than an acre and a half on the roof of the distribution center attached to its manufacturing complex in Tolleson. That makes it Arizona’s largest customer-owned solar project. The panels allow Gatorade to save 40 percent on its electric costs for the distribution center.

The NFL has gone green with organic Super Bowl t-shirts celebrating the Pittsburgh Steeler’s victory over the Arizona Cardinals.

Eco-friendly Super Bowl® Championship Locker Room t-shirt from Reebok® features the full-color team logo, NFL® Shield, and Super Bowl® XLIII Champions graphic screen-printed on the chest. Green stitching on the shoulder and inside neck seams distinguishes the official organic Locker Room t-shirt of the Super Bowl®.

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The NFL has purchased renewable energy from TECO, the power company in Tampa, Florida. While it’s unclear exactly how much of the power used on game day will be green, a spokesman claims the switch will have the same impact as taking 20 cars off the road for a year.

“As you can imagine, the power demands of an NFL stadium and a large event like the NFL Experience are huge,” said Jack Groh, who helped green this year’s big game. “And one way to reduce the carbon footprint, the climate impact of that, is by using renewable power.”