10.25349/D9RG87
Brady, Hannah
0000-0002-9320-383X
University of California, Santa Barbara
Barsotti, Gabrielle
University of California, Santa Barbara
Davis, Jordan
University of California, Santa Barbara
Norris, Carly
University of California, Santa Barbara
Shaphran, Eric
University of California, Santa Barbara
Play Sustainaball: An environmental footprint for an MLB team season
Dryad
dataset
2022
FOS: Earth and related environmental sciences
baseball
sustainability
carbon accounting
University of California, Santa Barbara
2022-06-08T00:00:00Z
2022-06-08T00:00:00Z
en
https://bren.ucsb.edu/projects/play-sustainaball-environmental-footprint-mlb-team-season
384949 bytes
3
CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication
In recent years, there has been increased attention and focus from the
public on the environmental impact of professional sports organizations.
Significant opportunities exist for Major League Baseball (MLB) teams to
both reduce their own environmental footprint, and that of their fans,
through sustainability initiatives. Despite stadiums using upwards of ten
million gallons of water per year and having the same energy needs as a
small city, no MLB team has completed a public-facing quantification of
their total environmental footprint. This project calculated the carbon
footprint and water consumption of the Tampa Bay Rays for the 2019 regular
season. We analyzed Scope 1, 2, and 3 GHG emissions to identify hotspots
within the Rays’ operations, supply chains, and transportation. Fan
transportation was found to be the largest source of GHGs, followed by
food production for concessions. The cooling tower and restrooms were
identified as the largest sources of onsite water usage. We created a
repository of best practices as a resource for stadium managers that
includes strategies to reduce GHGs and water use coupled with scenario
analyses estimating potential reductions. The following recommendations
are highlighted as the largest reduction opportunities: (1) prioritizing
fan engagement to switch to more sustainable modes of transportation, and
(2) offering and highlighting more vegetarian options at concessions. To
further reduce emissions and water usage, MLB teams should prioritize
sub-metering electricity and water lines and installing more efficient
equipment.
Data was provided by the Tampa Bay Rays and collected at Tropicana Field
(where the Rays play) by Jordan Davis during the summer of 2021.