Super Bowl 2009 - The "green" game?

Super Bowl 2009 is almost here, and the NFL Environmental Program, in partnership with the Tampa Bay host committee, is taking steps to make the game more Eco-friendly this year. Some of these initiatives include:

- Recovery of prepared food from events

- Solid waste recycling

- Donation of all leftover building and decorative materials to local nonprofits

- Use of renewable energy to power the NFL Experience Football Theme Park and the stadium on game day

- Collection of used books and sports equipment for local schools and youth agencies

- Travel offsets for the teams and NFL officials traveling to Super Bowl XLIII

For the game in Tampa Bay, there will also be thousands of trees planted to reduce the carbon footprint of the game. This is the fifth year that the NFL has incorporated tree planting projects in the host city, typically in association with the US Forest Service.

While it is commendable that the NFL is taking these steps, I still feel like more could be done to not only "green" the Super Bowl, but the NFL in general. Many of these initiatives could be applied to all of the regular and post-season games as well. The NFL has the resources to expand this program to include more creative ways to make the league environmentally sustainable. It is a step in the right direction, but more needs to be done to make the game of football truly "green."