Go Green, or go home!

Ah, fall is upon us and you know what that means: dry brown leaves falling from trees; pumpkin spiced lattes; and FOOTBALL! Yep, football is back in full swing and along with football comes the best activity of all: tailgating! While it can be easy to get wrapped up in the festivities of tailgating, it’s important to be conscious of the impact our football-crazed selves have on the areas where we tailgate. Here are several tips on how to not only show team pride, but green pride as well!

Walk or bike to the game

If you are as lucky as some of my fellow Wildcats and I were (Beardown Arizona!), you live no more than several blocks from the stadium, and can easily walk or bike to your destination. For every mile you drive, your car emits 1.22 lbs of carbon dioxide, while walking or biking to the game releases none. To calculate your impact check out Rolling Carbon. Many stadiums have bike racks so that you can keep your bike safe while you revel in the football festivities. Another advantage of walking or biking is that you avoid waiting in line and/or paying for parking.

Carpool

Unfortunately, not all games are close enough to walk or bike to, and at other times you just have too much stuff to carry with you. Not a problem: get a group of your friends together and head to the game in one car.

Drinks

Look into getting a keg. A typical beer can holds 12 oz of liquid; a standard US 1/2 barrel is 15.5 gallons, or 1,984 ounces. By opting for a keg you will be saving about 165 cans of beer and there is no waste involved, as the keg shell can be reused.

If you’re not willing to go all out on a keg, some great organic beers to try are:

Wolaver’s certified organic ales

Eel River Brewing Company (USDA Certified Organic)

Cups/Plates/Silverware/Napkin

It is always tricky bringing glass cups, ceramic plates, and/or metal silverware in areas where lots of people are running around, so to be safe, I recommend using compostable plates. Bare by Solo has a bunch of eco-friendly products  as does Gaiam, a lifestyle company.

Ask everyone attending the tailgate to bring a reusable canteen and/or cup. For those who are forgetful (perhaps they had one too many beers at the pre-tailgating party), plastic cups are usually recyclable and would work just fine. Just make sure to check with your recycling center as to what number recyclables they accept.

Although cloth napkins would be ideal, it is O.K. to use paper napkins or paper towels, as they are both compostable – just make sure that everyone throws them into a “compost” bag, not the trash.

Grilling

Like so many, I used to be a huge fan of red meat – there was nothing like a large, juicy, medium-rare hamburger, to go hand-in-hand with my iced cold Keystone Light. However, I have since given up red meat, and for the sake of the atmosphere as well as my body I am so glad I did.

Most grills use charcoal that is made with “conventional additives” (e.g. coal dust, sodium nitrate, limestone, starch, sawdust or petroleum products). When the charcoal burns, it produces hydrocarbons and small soot particles, which pollute the atmosphere. Look for “natural” charcoal brands that do not contain these conventional additives and are certified by the  Rainforest Alliance’s SmartWood program.

In addition, when the fat/juices from the fish/chicken/meat, etc. drip on to the charcoals, it causes smoke to rise covering the meat with carcinogenic compounds called mutagens. Yuck!

Although propane is a better alternative to charcoal (it burns “cleaner” than charcoal and leaves behind less waste), an even better alternative would be to prepare foods that do not require any sort of grilling. Some ideas that are sure to score a touchdown with guests:

Relive your glory days with a good ol’ PB&J sandwich. To squeeze in a bit more protein, switch out the peanut butter for some creamy almond butter.

Stick to a classic such as a turkey sandwich: multigrain bread, organic tomatoes, lettuce and alfalfa sprouts as well as some organic hummus – what’s not to love?

Some other ideas:

A big ol’ mixed green salad works well as a side dish, or add pre-cooked chicken for an entrée salad; guacamole and/or mango salsa with tortilla chips; pita bread and hummus; and veggies and dip.

More:

Instead of lugging a T.V. with you so that you can watch the game from the comfort of your tailgating spot, bring a solar-powered, crank radio with you. Even better yet, splurge and buy tickets to the game and watch all of the action live!

Bring three different “trash” bags with you: one for compost – all of the leftover veggies/fruits/paper towels, etc. in this one; one for recycling; and a trash bag for the very few pieces that cannot be recycled or composted (this bag should be the least full by the end of the game).

Don’t have any clothing that represents your team? Show team (green) spirit by borrowing team affiliated clothing from friends and/or family and wear with pride.

So, now that we have all of that covered, lets get out there, drink up, chow down and watch some football!

Goooo Green – whoops, I mean team!