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Love Football, Fight Global Warming

Autumn is here in all its glory. For many, this means the triumphant return of football season. Our Sundays are filled with men in helmets, bar-b-q, chips and beer. Afternoons that were once spent tending the garden or fixing that busted shelf are now devoted to the three-hour holy event known as a home game (Editor’s Note: Go Skins!).

But just because it’s football season, we can’t forget about the environment. On the contrary, football and environmental stewardship can go hand in hand and help you have a better time this Sunday. Here are five quick and easy tips to help you save the climate on game day.

1. Enjoy the game with friends. Watching the game with friends is always more fun. Yell at the TV together, share exultant, extravagant celebrations, throw the pigskin around during halftime. Gatherings are good news for the environment because sharing TVs, food, and living spaces conserves energy.

2. Buy in bulk. When preparing for the big game, buy your food, refreshments and other party favors in bulk to minimize the amount of packaging. Buy the 5 pound mega-pack of steaks instead of 5 individually wrapped steaks—or better yet, forego steak for a less carbon-intensive food. Get the pony keg of beer instead of cans. This will save money and save waste.

3. Use Real Plates, Cutlery and Glasses. Sometimes the allure of throwing out dirty dishes is appealing, but there’s no reason Sunday celebrations can’t include silverware, plates and glasses. Real football fans want real knives to slice their food, and want to place their real beer stein next to their officially-licensed team plate. This saves plastic and paper, and shows a little class to boot.

4. Green Your Team. Did you know that the NFL already has a stated policy and Environmental Program to help teams clean up their act? That’s great, but as environmentally-conscious fans it’s our job to push them to do better. Contact your team today to ask them what steps they have taken to green their team. Do they offset their carbon emissions? Use low flow toilets? Recycle?

5. Offset Your Tailgate. From your car ride to your bar-b-q, nearly everything you do this Sunday will emit some carbon. Visit our website to purchase a 2 ton offset gift card. This will cover your football celebration and maybe a bit of somebody else’s.

There are dozens of football teams to choose from, but we only have one world and one climate. Go for the win by reducing what you can and offsetting what you can’t.

(Photo by Flickr user Jayel Aheram)