US Open makes changes to become a greener Grand Slam

Attending a big sporting event like the Super Bowl or Wimbledon can be great fun, but they’re not that eco-friendly. Fans don’t bother to carpool, concession stands dish out food in plastic containers, and recycling bins aren’t easy to find. The USTA wants to change up their green game by partnering with organizations like the National Resources Defense Council (NRDC), GreenSlam, and Eco Evolutions for this year’s US Open.

Watching the TV coverage of the US Open you may not get a feel for how big an operation the USTA runs every year. About 700,000 fans attend the Grand Slam event which obviously creates a ton of car traffic. This year the USTA will continue their outreach program with New York City’s Metro Transit Authority to encourage fans to take public transport to the event. Besides increasing the number of trains that travel to the National Tennis Center (NTC), they’ve started to give out free MetroCards to fans.

The USTA is also making a major move to recycle or reuse tennis balls. A whopping 60,000 balls will be used during the event and then reused by the NTC. After they live their second life at the NTC, they will get a third when they are donated to youth programs.

Besides cleaning up their own act, the association wants to educate other tennis players about reusing and recycling. They’ve posted sensible ideas on their site such as donating old tennis balls to a dog shelter or even making them into a slug trap for your garden. They also encourage players to contact their local recycling program about tennis ball cans that are made of plastic and metal. Many recycling programs have changed their thoughts on the hybrid cans and will accept them.

One of the biggest hurdles for any major sporting event is the issue of waste. Whether you’ve got a soda pop can that needs to be recycled or a pile of ketchup stained napkins, it all needs to be disposed of properly. That’s why they covered 100% of the 42 acre facility with trash bins and and added five hundred recycling receptacles this year, which makes it much easier for fans to locate.

The USTA and their partners certainly favor the carrot over stick approach when it comes green ideas, which is also evident in PSAs airing around the venue. Starring actor Alec Baldwin, the ads combine a healthy dose of humor with a green message.