Environmental responsibility is all the rage, both nationwide and on campus. This fall, students promoting tap water have made a buzz on campus. Yesterday, the New England Patriots made their own environmentally conscious announcement that will surely have its fans at Tufts.
The Kraft Group announced that the Patriots will purchase enough windpower to fuel all the lights at Gillette Stadium on game days. This move signals the growing sense of business obligation to go green, and the size of the stadium guarantees that at least some of the large number of Pats fans who see green development in progress will definitely absorb and promote this obligation.
The Patriots will not actually fuel their lights with wind from a power plant near the stadium. Instead, they signed a four-year deal to buy renewable-energy credits (RECs) from windmills in the Midwest through a deal with Constellation NewEnergy, a company which provides electricity to businesses.
Also known as "green tags" or "green energy certificates," RECs represent megawatt-hours of renewable energy such as windpower. They are sold separately from electricity.
The purchase of RECs means the Patriots will continue to use conventional electricity in Gillette Stadium but will have also "purchased" environmental benefits of windpower that Constellation NewEnergy can put to other uses.
The practice of RECs is becoming more and more common in the commercial world. Companies like PepsiCo Inc., Whole Foods Market Inc. and Staples, Inc. are among the leaders of green companies who buy them.
Companies who buy RECs convey to the public their commitment to being good to the environment, but are they committing to clean energy? Even though the Patriots will purchase about 2400 megawatt-hours of RECs over four years, they will continue to use conventional power. Does their deal with Constellation NewEnergy actually make a difference?
The Daily thinks the deal is indeed significant. It signals that the Patriots care about the environment and will encourage their fans to follow suit.
Eventually, when it is easier for firms to acquire and implement renewable energy, they should make efforts to do so. But at present, given the capabilities of today's technology, the Patriots' deal is promoting progress to a future world in which wind power could be the sole force lighting the stadium during Monday night football.
Parallels can be drawn between this deal and the recent moves made at Tufts to act in the environment's interest. The solar power used to fuel Sophia Gordon, ECO's "Do it in the Dark" campaign and the recycling bins all over campus have made headlines, raising awareness in the Tufts community about green living. Even though none of these moves is a panacea for all of the globe's wounds, they are making it impossible to live, study or work at Tufts without knowing what it means to be green.
In fact, it is becoming difficult to live in today's society without considering carbon footprints or tolls on the environment. News about the environment is everywhere. Green technology is taking off. Al Gore won the Nobel Peace Prize.
The Patriots' announcement yesterday signals that environmental talk is here to stay. Even though the Pats will still be playing under old-fashioned lights, they are helping to kick off the Boston area's efforts to go green.
