Feeling Green: Cowboys Aiming For Eco-Friendly New Stadium

Cowboys' New Stadium In Arlington Looks To Become First Eco-Friendly Sports Facility

The Cowboys' new $1.1B stadium in Arlington, which is scheduled to open in '09, is "set to become the first sports venue accepted into a federal program for environmentally friendly buildings," according to Jeff Mosier of the DALLAS MORNING NEWS. The team Thursday said that it "applied for the Environmental Protection Agency's National Environmental Performance Track program." The Cowboys have goals that include "reducing solid waste by 25[%], energy use by 20[%] and water consumption by 1 million gallons annually." Environmental Protection Agency Regional Dir Richard Greene said the new stadium "will have national standards that perhaps will become part of the way facilities like this are operated from now on." Cowboys Owner Jerry Jones: "We should use this visibility to talk about how we should improve the environment." Mosier notes the stadium "must open and have an outside audit before it's officially accepted into the program." Greene said that the Cowboys "have met all the requirements on paper so far." Some of the "green initiatives implemented or planned by the Cowboys include use of native trees and plants, purchases of some renewable energy, and use of recycled plastic in seats and the playing field." Cowboys Stadium Construction Manager Jack Hill said that the "translucent material in the retractable roof and the extensive use of glass allow the team to reduce daytime lighting even when the roof is closed" (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 10/17). In Ft. Worth, Andrea Ahles notes about 90% of the waste products from construction "are recycled and thousands of gallons of water have been reused at the stadium site." Jones said that he "did not know how much the eco-friendly initiatives would cost but that some of them would actually save the team money" (FT. WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM, 10/17).