Yes, it’s the Super Bowl LVI – one of the biggest sporting events of the year. There are only a few days left until the beginning of this special event, and preparations for it are already underway in order to ensure the most amazing experience for over 115 million sports fans across the country. However, besides the preparation for live broadcasts as well as the main matches, many side activities have been organized by the National Football League (NFL) months before the main event. The NFL Green – the organization’s official environmental program is one of them.
About The NFL Green Program
The NFL Green program was launched in 1993 with the aim of making lasting differences in improving the environment as well as reducing negative impacts on the environment caused by sporting events such as the Super Bowl, Pro Bowl, and NFL Draft. Over the past 28 years, NFL Green, in partnership with other environmental organizations and local communities, has implemented numerous community greening projects across the country with the goal of planting 20 million trees by 2030, creating “green” legacies for future generations.
The NFL Green program is funded by the NFL Foundation and its sponsors, as well as by the organizations and individuals primarily from the region that host the event. Each Super Bowl season will be hosted by different communities, and the NFL Green program will collaborate with regional leaders to organize specific activities such as creating green playgrounds and community gardens, restoring habitats, and contributing to global reforestation projects.
The 2022 Super Bowl LVI will take place at Inglewood’s SoFi Stadium, and this year’s greening program will also be hosted by this city. On September 25, the NFL Green’s iconic “Golden Shovel” – marking the beginning of the program – was given to the city of Inglewood as well as to the Los Angeles area representative. This event attracted the interest of many Inglewood volunteers and residents, including Inglewood Mayor James T. Butts.
Super Bowl LVI – A Green Beginning
On September 25, the first plants and flowers were planted at Inglewood’s Edward Vincent Park by NFL Green directors Jack and Susan Groh, along with volunteers from the area. In particular, 56 trees were also planted throughout the Los Angeles region on the same day, symbolizing the 56th anniversary of the Super Bowl.
Besides, a series of greening projects have been implemented by the NFL Green, in partnership with other organizations such as TreePeople, Los Angeles Conservation Corps, LA Neighborhood Land Trust, and more. Over 25 Lemon Bottlebrush trees have been planted in Watts with the goal of covering the neighborhood with greenery; the Boyle Heights-Mott Street Community Garden restoration and expansion project is also in progress and has yielded positive results; and more prominently, a “Wishing Tree” has also been planted at the Wishing Tree Park Memorial Plaza in West Carson, California.
Verizon – one of the main partners of the NFL Green Program – has also had specific activities to celebrate the Super Bowl LVI. With 5,600 trees planted in Southern California, the NFL and Verizon have hit the 7.8 million tree milestone, one step closer to their goal of planting 20 million trees.
It’s A Hard Work, And Hard Work Pays Off
As the Super Bowl is considered one of the biggest events in the world, the NFL wants to make sure that every activity of the event will bring positive impacts on the environment. Although these community activities take a lot of time and effort to be done, they definitely mean a lot in terms of habitat restoration and improving the lives of the residents.
Jack and Susan Groh – directors of the NFL Green – have affirmed that the end of each Super Bowl season isn’t the end of the organization’s sustainability efforts. The directors have also proudly stated that despite being held for only a short period of time every year, these projects will bring tangible benefits many years to come.
The NFL Green Program has inspired millions of sports fans to stand up and do anything in their power to contribute to this journey. At Tenere, we partner with a wide range of stores not only to help sports fans save money when shopping for the upcoming Super Bowl but also to plant trees and contribute to the success of greening projects around the world. It’s indeed a long process, but good things take time, and hard work pays off.
