Jacksonville should build the cleanest stadium ever

By John Burr, Jacksonville Climate Coalition

The Jacksonville Jaguars, in partnership with the city of Jacksonville, promise to build “the stadium of the future.”  

The artist renderings of a mammoth metallic teardrop cowling seemingly suspended over the new stadium sure looks futuristic. Yet building a true beacon for the future will require more than aesthetics. 

Simply put, the future is green. The fact is, when it comes to designing sports stadiums these days, sustainability is routinely being built in – solar power, electric battery storage, rainwater reuse, native plantings, serving locally grown food, improved mass transit options and other ideas are being adopted across the country. 

Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta, So-Fi Stadium in Los Angeles and Climate Pledge Stadium in Seattle – to name just three – have been built to emphasize green operations. In England, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium runs on 100% renewable energy 

“When you do things right, you save money and you help the environment,” said Mary Tappouni, president of Breaking Ground Contracting, a pioneering Jacksonville company in the field of sustainable construction. “It’s a win-win and easy to come to consensus.” 

One way for the city and the Jaguars to maximize efforts to build and operate a sustainable stadium, Tappouni said, is to form partnerships with JEA, which provides electric and water service, and the Jacksonville Transportation Authority, which runs buses and the upcoming autonomous shuttle service. 

Jacksonville’s sustainability manager, Ashantae Green, and her team have begun studying ways to build a green stadium in Jacksonville which would find support in the administration of Mayor Donna Deegan. 

So far, there has been no interest from the public to build a sustainable stadium, even in the series of public hearings the team and the city held recently. Interest from the public would help the effort, she said. 

John Burr is the editor of the Jacksonville Climate Coalition newsletter, where this piece was first published. 

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