Upcoming Griz game to "go green"
2/10/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
On Saturday, Feb. 20, at 4 p.m. the University of Montana???s men???s basketball team will host Sacramento State in the second annual Green Griz Game at Dahlberg Arena.
During the game, Griz fans can purchase a variety of Farm to College food items, including Redneck hot dogs, Wheat Montana buns, burgers from Rocky Mountain Gourmet Steaks and Craven???s coffee. Popcorn bags will be made from biodegradable paper, and fans who bring a refillable water bottle can get a free fountain drink.
UM Recycling will increase its efforts at the game with student volunteers who will provide fans information about recycling on campus and in Missoula and help direct people where to recycle at the game.
Fans will have the opportunity to win a $100 gift certificate??or dinner for two from local businesses??when they purchase a raffle ticket at the game. The money raised from the raffle will go towards offsetting the carbon emissions of the game.
The energy consumption of Dahlberg Arena for one basketball game, along with fan and athlete travel to and from the game, has been estimated at 71 tons of GHG emissions. To mitigate the carbon footprint of Saturday???s game, UM will purchase an equal number of tons of carbon offsets from Clear Sky Climate Solutions which will go towards funding a local carbon offsetting project.
The company???s offsets represent emissions reductions that have already occurred and been verified, so when purchasing the offsets, Clear Sky confirms that they are legitimate carbon offsets and not future promises or forward contracts.
UM???s purchase for Saturday???s game will go to a specific project -- Montana Rangeland Carbon Sequestration Offset. The project comprises nine ranches that cover more than 70,500 acres in southeastern Montana. All of the ranches have committed to sustainable grazing practices that allow the soil to sequester carbon dioxide. Their adopted grazing plans also help maintain native grassland plant species and preserve habitat for local wildlife.
For more information, go to the Clear Sky Climate Solutions Web site at www.clearskyclimatesolutions.com.
The ???Go Green??? game is an effort by UM and the Department of Athletics to bring the University???s commitment to sustainability initiatives and environmental stewardship to Griz fans.
More information about the game is available by calling Erica Bloom, Associated Students of UM Sustainability Coordinator, at 243-4856 or by e-mailing ASUM.Sustain@mso.umt.edu.
