Soldier Field Is One Of The Greenest Stadiums On The Planet
By JoshMogerman in News on Apr 28, 2012 8:00PM
With all eyes on the NFL draft, local media seem to have missed the biggest on-the-field Bears-related news this week. And we really mean "THE field."
The grass isn’t the only thing that's green at the Bears’ home field. The Chicago Park District announced that Soldier Field has become the first NFL stadium to earn LEED status for an existing building (LEED-EB). The prestigious designation awarded by the U.S. Green Building Council gives Soldier Field status as one of the greenest stadiums on the planet.
It is not easy to modernize a nearly 90-year-old building. The certification comes, in part, due to aggressive energy conservation and recycling plans implemented since the stadium underwent its controversial renovation in 2003. Super-efficient LED display technology, access to abundant public transportation, and a recycling program so aggressive it even re-uses dirt from field re-sodding in landscape projects elsewhere on the grounds are all indicative of the efforts to minimize the stadium’s impact. Props to the Park District for not punting on their responsibilities in the Lakefront's most visible property and for helping Chicago hold the lead in green buildings nationally.