Club to Kick Off Green Week with E-Cycling & General Donations Drive on April 21
ST. LOUIS, Mo., April 17, 2017 – In celebration of the 47th anniversary of Earth Day on April 22, the St. Louis Cardinals will host its 8th annual Green Week at Busch Stadium from Tuesday, April 25 through Sunday, April 30. Following is a list of the week’s activities designed to promote recycling and energy efficiency both inside and outside of Busch Stadium (#4AGreenerGame).
Friday, April 21
To kick off Green Week festivities, the Cardinals and MERS Goodwill will once again team up to host an electronics recycling and general donations drive on Friday, April 21. Fans may drop off unused or unwanted computers and electronic equipment at donation trailers in the Lot C Parking Lot, located at the corner of 8th Street and Cerre Street, immediately south of I-64/40. The donation drive runs from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., with Fredbird on hand from 3:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
All items will be accepted free of charge, and donors do not need to sort their items prior to dropping them off. Computers and computer accessories, phones (home and cell), clocks, VCRs, DVD players, stereos, AV equipment including cable and satellite boxes, and any other electronic devices (except TVs) will be accepted in any condition. Televisions are no longer being accepted. Goodwill will also accept any general donations including clothing, furniture, home décor, and housewares. All donations are tax deductible, and Goodwill will provide receipts for items donated. In return, fans donating will receive a voucher good for half priced Cardinals tickets.
The revenue generated from the sale of fan donations is used to further MERS Goodwill’s mission to change lives through the power of work. The primary focus and success of MERS Goodwill’s employment and rehabilitation programs is in their ability to prepare people for the world of work and their vision of a community where each individual has the opportunity to learn, work, and achieve their greatest potential.
In addition to the E-Cycling drive on April 21, MERS Goodwill will also hold a collection drive on Earth Day (Saturday, April 22) with the Greater St. Louis Area Council Boy Scouts from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Scouts in 51 counties across the region will help collect donations while completing advancement requirements for things such as the sustainability merit badge in their commitment to reduce, reuse and recycle. To find the collection location nearest you, visit mersgoodwill.org.
Tuesday, April 25—Sunday, April 30
The Cardinals, in partnership with Shoeman Water Projects, will collect shoes inside Busch Stadium gates before the games on April 26-27 and 29-30. Fans are asked to clean out their closets of any unwanted, gently-used shoes, tie or band them together and drop them in the designated shoe collection bags. Fans who are bringing shoes for donation should limit the size of any bags to 16” x 16” x 8” in dimension pursuant to Busch Stadium’s bag policy. Shoeman Water Projects creates clean drinking water for those in need by selling shoes to exporters for resale and then using the money generated from those sales to purchase well-drilling rigs and water purification systems in developing countries.
On Wednesday, April 26, Operation Food Search will recognize the Cardinals and the team’s concessionaire, Delaware North Sportservice, on the field during pregame ceremonies. Since 2010, the Cardinals and Delaware North Companies have diverted nearly 79,000 pounds of unused food from Busch concessions stands to Operation Food Search, which reduces the amount of waste going to landfills. When food decomposes in landfills, it becomes a source of greenhouse gas emissions. The Cardinals are exceeding their food recovery goals, which results in decreasing greenhouse gas emissions, slowing climate change while contributing to Operation Food Search’s efforts in feeding 200,000 of our neighbors in need.
With the help of Ameren Missouri Pure Power, the Cardinals will offset energy consumption by purchasing Renewable Energy Credits (RECs) for the duration of Green Week. For the first time in Busch Stadium’s history, the Cardinals will purchase enough RECs to offset 100% of the energy used at the ballpark for every regular season game.
The Bi-State Development Agency/Metro is proud to join the St. Louis Cardinals and other partners during the team’s 2017 Green Week. By transporting thousands of fans and stadium workers to and from each home game on MetroLink trains and MetroBus vehicles, we are helping reduce air pollution by having fewer automobiles on the roadways. It takes a team of partners and volunteers to go green and stay green, and Metro applauds and supports the Cardinals sustainability goals and recycling efforts inside and outside of the ballpark.
During Green Week, and all season long, the St. Louis Cardinals Knight FM Green Team volunteers walk down the aisles of the seating bowl between innings to collect plastic and aluminum from fans while promoting recycling inside Busch Stadium. In exchange for their services, the volunteers are able to watch the game in standing room only sections of the ballpark, as collections are done only between innings and during pitching changes so as not to disturb fans watching the game. To volunteer, e-mail4agreenergame@cardinals.com, or for more information, visit cardinals.com/green.
Since the launch of #4AGreenerGame in 2008, the Cardinals have diverted nearly 5500 tons of solid waste from local landfills, and Busch Stadium continues to become more energy efficient through participation in Ameren Missouri’s Business Energy Efficiency Program. For instance:
o The team has reduced energy use by 20% and water use by 10% since the new stadium opened in 2006.
o 40% of the team’s waste was diverted from landfills in 2016.
o On average, eight tons of trash are recycled at Busch Stadium each game.
o 550 recycling bins are located throughout Busch Stadium.
For more information about Green Week, please visit cardinals.com/greenweek. For more information about 4 A Greener Game, please visit cardinals.com/green. Join the conversation with #4AGreenerGame.
