This weekend at the X Games in downtown Los Angeles, ESPN is putting forward their Most Valuable Player...the Environment. This year's special move is an innovative and interactive effort to encourage spectators to recycle beverage containers. The event features Global Inheritance's TRASHed Recycling Store where anyone can exchange recyclables for prizes including autographed gear, music and other amazing merchandise available to those willing to limit the event footprint by taking charge.
But this isn't ESPN's first time playing the environmental game this year.
In fact, earlier this month, on July 14, many of the world's top athletes gathered at the Nokia Theatre in downtown Los Angeles to celebrate their victories, incredible achievements and unmatchable feats.
As part of ESPN's continued commitment to environmental stewardship, over the course of the set up, pre events, the awards ceremonies and post parties, the ESPYs Environmentality Team implemented innovative strategies focused on energy conservation, emissions reduction and waste minimization. From reducing vehicle miles by transporting celebs in multi passenger busses from the host hotel instead of limos to diverting waste and getting power from the sun, the environment was definitely playing center.
The winning plays that made the 2010 ESPYs the most environmentally friendly event on television were:
1: The Recycled Carpet Roll Out!
The ESPYs Red Carpet was made of approximately 50,000 post-consumer recycled plastic water bottles. The carpet will be reused for future events and then recycled at the end of its usable life.
2: The Zero Waste Win!
Production crews were given reusable beverage containers. Water and coffee refilling stations backstage eliminated single-use individual plastic water bottles and paper coffee cups.
3: The (Compostable) Catch!
Cups made from corn were fully biodegradable, and compostable service-ware was used in all areas including crew catering, press tent, backstage hospitality areas, dressing rooms, and at venue concession stands.
4: The Recycling Rebound!
ESPYs production supplies are carefully chosen for their recycled content and ability to be recycled. Custom-designed recycle bins and Environmental Ambassadors made recycling and composting easy and effective and eliminated discard materials from ending up in the landfill.
5: The Set Save!
The ESPYs set was designed with reuse in mind, using wood from responsibly managed forests. Most elements are from the 2008 and 2009 sets and will be stored after the show, instead of dismantled and discarded, then modified for future productions.
6: The Solar Nas-Cart
During The 10th annual ESPY Celebrity Golf Classic, participants (equipped with Eco-Golf biodegradable golf tees) were paired with an athlete or celebrity and played a daylong Golf Tournament which raised $1.134 million for The V Foundation for Cancer Research. As part of the fundraiser, celebrities and athletes signed a one-of-a-kind solar golf cart that was auctioned off online. Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Dhani Jones drove the cart during the tournament.
7: Zero Emission Ending Play!
The Red Carpet DJ rocked in the LA summer sun thanks to the solar panels attached to the roof of his DJ booth. After the ESPYs the panels were installed at a local Boys and Girls Club in Bell Gardens to power their computer lab. The 2010 ESPYs was also a a carbon neutral event. After reducing energy consumption wherever possible, the remaining unavoidable greenhouse gasses generated by show production were mitigated through carbon offsets.
Winning sustainability plays like these and more can be found at: http://espn.go.com/espys/#/environmentality