Green Education Foundation (GEF) Celebrated a Belated Earth Day at Fenway on July 7, 2012

July 17, 2012 - PRLog -- July 12, 2012 – Whether you’re from Red Sox nation or came to Boston to cheer on the Yankees, fans who attended the game at Fenway on July 7th took part in a belated Earth Day celebration.  The 12:30 game on Saturday had been rescheduled from April 22nd (Earth Day) when torrential rain prevented play. As the iconic park celebrates its 100 year anniversary, the importance of preserving and protecting our planet’s natural resources was emphasized in honor of Earth Day.

Throughout Fenway Park, fans see reminders of the importance of making good decisions when it comes to energy and the environment. In 2008, Big Belly trash compactors were added around the park’s perimeters. These cans collect 6 times as much waste as normal cans and are solar powered.  The Poland Springs Green Team is also a big presence in the ballpark. The team of college students monitors recycling efforts by assisting in the collection of plastics from attendees and diverting waste away from the landfill. Lastly, be sure to ask whether your items from the concession stand can be recycled before throwing them in the trash. Aramark is using napkins, cups, food containers and wraps made of recycled materials.

The Red Sox have also made great strides in reducing their CO2 emissions through the installation of solar panels. The first team in Major League Baseball to do so, the solar panels replace 37% of the gas traditionally used for the process, saving both energy and expense, and avoid 18 tons of CO2 emissions each year.

To further enhance the importance of the day’s messages, GEF was invited to participate in Fenway’s Earth Day activities, with GEF President, Victoria Waters, on the field for the first pitch ceremony. Joining Victoria to throw the ceremonial pitch was Dylan Zhou, a 6th grade student at Holy Name Parish School in West Roxbury, MA. Dylan was selected out of hundreds of submissions as a winner of the Green Energy Challenge contest in which students draw their energy saving wish for 2012 in celebration of ENERGY STAR’s 20th birthday.  Dylan’s winning design is featured on T-shirts being worn by hundreds of local employees during Earth Day clean-up efforts across the region.

“GEF is so proud of the Green Energy Challenge and what it stands for. We are thrilled to have the opportunity visit Fenway to bring awareness of sustainability issues to the public on such a large scale," said Victoria Waters, GEF’s president and CEO. "It’s critical that people are aware of the power of collective behavior change."

To learn more about the Green Energy Challenge, visit GEF’s website at http://www.greeneducationfoundation.org/green-energy-chal.... You can read more about the contest and Dylan Zhou here: http://www.greeneducationfoundation.org/newsroom/1202-gre...