Welcome to Green Sports Venues, the only place covering the intersection of sports venues and green/sustainable technologies. It seems, at first glance, like an odd mix: our conception of the average sports fan doesn’t really allow for recognition of sustainable living practices.

But the sports world has been a leader in showcasing green and sustainable living practices. You can find LEED-certified facilities in minor- and major-league baseball, with more on the way in the arena and football-stadium worlds. This past season Major League Baseball embarked on an industry-wide program where teams were buying carbon credits, reducing landfill waste, and focusing on sustainable procurement. The assumption for any new sports facility is that it will be designed to sustainable specifications – if not up to LEED standards, then close to them, especially if the facility is receiving university or government support. Arena managers are looking at renovating their facilities to be more sustainable. Wastewater management, green roofs, solar panels…these are all becoming an increasingly common part of the sports-facility dialogue.

And that’s where Green Sports Venues comes in. August Publications, creator of this Website, has a presence in both fields. August Publications is already the leading Internet publisher in the sports-business world, with tens of thousands of readers checking in weekly to sites like Ballpark Digest, Arena Digest, Football Stadium Digest, Soccer Stadium Digest and College Sports Venues. And with upcoming sustainable Websites on the way, August Publications is staking out its claim in the green/sustainable field as well.

This is an exciting time to be in the green/sustainable living world. We’ll chronicle its rise in the sports-venue here with regular features, news items and (eventually) ratings for all major facilities. There are several ways you can be informed of what’s happening here besides regular visits. You’ll notice a newsletter-signup form on virtually every page of the site: all we need is your name and email address, and you’ll be receiving our weekly missive. (No, we won’t be sharing your name and email address with anyone else.) And for those who prefer RSS or Atom feeds for tracking sites, we have those as well.

Please let us know what you think. The best way is to go to our Contact Us Page and use the tools there. We’d love to hear from you.

--Kevin Reichard, Publisher