Will Arvest Naturals Be Our Green Monster?

The left field wall at 95-year-old Fenway Park has been green only since 1947, but now the Red Sox are going green in a big way. Grist reports that under a five-year partnership with the National Resources Defense Council, the nation's oldest active ballpark may vend beer in corn-starch-based cups, serve local organic food from concession stands, add solar panels, and even initiate a new tradition: a fifth-inning recycling stretch for depositing soda and water bottles.

The Cleveland Indians and Green Energy Ohio teamed up to install a new solar electric system at Jacobs Field with 42 GE solar panels that will provide 8.4 kilowatts of clean, renewable electricity. The Washington Nationals’ new ballpark will contain the first “green roof” at a big league sports facility when it opens in April and hopes to be the first stadium in the U.S. to be certified under the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design system. With a grant from the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, an environmental nonprofit, the D.C. Sports and Entertainment Commission will plant grass and other plant life on top of a 6,300-square-foot surface above a concession stand in left field, absorbing the sun’s rays and greatly reducing the amount of heat reflected back into the atmosphere.

The Washington Nationals and the Arvest Naturals are both using the same architectural firm, HOK Sport, to design their new stadiums. Maybe Josh Jenkins can get Jesse Core and Eric Edelstein together on this and make our area's new ballpark a green model for the nation. Or maybe it will be just another fireworks stand.