Solar powered Super Bowl

America’s biggest annual sporting event, the Super Bowl, went green this year by opting to have electricity needed for the massive sporting event supplied from renewable sources and where that isn’t possible to buy carbon offsets to make up the difference.

Florida Power & Light supplied the renewable energy from solar and bioenergy sources while Sterling Planet will sell the NFL Renewable Energy Certificates to offset greenhouse gases associated with conventional electricity consumption at last Sunday’s event.

“The year 2007 marks our third carbon neutral Super Bowl,” said Jack Groh, NFL’s environmental programme director.

“We have planted thousands of trees in host cities in the last couple of years, but this is the first time we’ve added renewable energy credits into that mix. The carbon neutral project is just one of several initiatives developed in South Florida to address the environmental impact of our events.

“Other projects focus on reuse of materials, solid waste management, recovery of prepared food, and donation of thousands of books and pieces of sports equipment to needy children in the host communities.”

Sam Bond