TechKnow

Greening the game

American Football is a billion-dollar industry, so can making stadiums greener encourage sports fans to do the same?

Bringing tens of thousands of people together for a single sporting event has its inherent challenges when it comes to sustainability – from the traffic and waste generated to the energy and water needed to keep these stadiums functioning.

The Dallas Cowboys’ stadium uses 10 megawatts of energy on game days – that’s roughly the same as keeping 7,500 US homes running during those hours. 

But, increasingly, teams from different sports around the world are introducing eco-friendly practices as well as modifying their stadium’s infrastructure so they can do better by the environment.

On this episode of TechKnow, we visit San Francisco’s new Levi’s stadium, which could pave the way for NFL clubs to become major players in sustainability and innovation. It is the first LEED gold-certified NFL stadium.

The stadium’s environmental credentials include 1,180 solar panels, which offset the electricity used by the 2,700 TVs and other energy-consuming devices used during San Francisco 49er home games.

There’s also a 27,000 square foot green roof filled with drought-resistant plants. And there is an entourage of “NiNerds” – roaming, bow-tie wearing stadium tech support – to help visitors properly access the cutting-edge mobile technology designed for 49er fans.

But is it as sustainable as it’s made out to be?

We speak to an architect at a sustainability consulting company to figure out if the Levi’s stadium is really that green. 

In this episode, we also see how scientists are studying birds to try and develop technology, which mimics their aerial movements. Scientists at Stanford are studying the biomechanics of how birds fly to try and engineer better, miniature drones that can navigate complex conditions. 

And we also try out some of the newest innovations in health-focused wearable tech.