The Super Bowl 50 Host Committee has announced its “net positive commitment,” which will be built around four key pillars of the Committee’s “Play Your Part” campaign:
- Reducing impact on climate change by delivering a low emissions event;
- Responsibly using materials and resources;
- Inspiring fans to embrace sustainability personally; and
- Leaving a lasting legacy.
Some specific “net positive” efforts, as reported by the Host Committee, include:
- The site of the game, Levi’s Stadium, is the first LEED gold-certified NFL venue
- Carbon offsets via TerraPass
- Urban forestry grants to support tree planting in Bay Area communities
- Increased public transportation to discourage the use of cars
- A bike valet station at Super Bowl City, in partnership with the San Francisco Bike Coalition
- Fully-electric buses from BYD for the media shuttle operation
- Super Bowl City will be run on clean renewable power. All generators in Super Bowl City will run on Neste NEXBTL renewable diesel which to reduce emissions and improve air quality. Generators meeting EPA’s Tier 4 standards will be used in Super Bowl City to reduce emissions and noise, while Hydrogen Fuel Cell generators will be used to supplement renewable diesel generators and showcase this new technology of the future.
- A strong, active food recovery program will ensure that various food banks around the Bay Area benefit from receiving food for the needy that would otherwise go to waste. Attention is also being paid to what materials are brought onsite at Super Bowl City to reduce what enters the waste stream. One example is the compostable serviceware that concessionaire Legends will use to serve all food and beverages.
- There will be no single-use bottles at Super Bowl City. As part of the #BringYourOwn campaign, fans are encouraged to bring their own reusable water bottles and will be able to rehydrate using free water stations located throughout Super Bowl City. All 5,000 volunteers and 5,000 media personnel will be using reusable BPA free stainless steel bottles provided by official sustainability partner Klean Kanteen.
By performing or pledging to perform sustainable actions, such as properly recycling waste, carrying a reusable water bottle or taking public transit, fans at Super Bowl 50 will be invited to help decide how to invest $200,000 in Bay Area environmental nonprofits via the 50 Fund, which is the Super Bowl Host Committee’s philanthropic fund. To date, the 50 Fund has distributed $7.3 million to 140 organizations in the greater San Francisco Bay Area.