MLS WORKS

Greener Goals Facts

Greener Goals - MLS WORKS - 2016

DID YOU KNOW? If every household in the U.S. replaced just one box of tissues made from trees with 100% recycled ones, we could save 163,000 trees. MLS purchases tissue products for stadium restrooms that are made from up to 100% post-consumer recycled content for All-Star events.


JOIN MLS in saving resources by choosing paper made from unbleached, FSC or with a high percentage of post-consumer content.


DID YOU KNOW? Many MLS stadiums conserve thousands of gallons of water each season by using water efficient fixtures.


JOIN MLS to save water by choosing water efficient fixtures. Install flow restricted aerators in your faucets to save 3 to 4 gallons per minute every time you turn on the tap, also saving money on your water and energy bills. A typical family of four can save 20,000 gallons of water per year with a low-flow showerhead.


DID YOU KNOW? Many MLS clubs donate prepared but unsold food to local charities after every game. This helps feed people in need and avoid landfilling valuable food, which can release harmful greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.


JOIN MLS by reducing food waste in your home. Americans throw out the equivalent of $165 billion each year by wasting 40% of food that they buy. Reducing food losses by just 15% would be enough food to feed more than 25 million Americans every year at a time when one in six Americans lack a secure supply of food to their tables.


DID YOU KNOW? To encourage fans to leave their car at home, MLS promotes public transportation maps and schedules to fans at all All-Star events.


JOIN MLS in cutting back on air pollution by using alternative transportation, or choose to bike or run to practice to get a good warm-up in early.


DID YOU KNOW? MLS has engaged fans at All-Star Game events by handing out reusable bags made from post-consumer recycled content.


JOIN MLS in cutting waste by bringing a reusable bag to the store when picking up food and drinks for practices or games.


DID YOU KNOW? MLS fans donate used sports equipment to youth organizations.


JOIN MLS in saving resources and helping the community by recycling your old sports gear. Donate soccer balls, shoes and jerseys you’ve grown out of to cut down on your waste and save someone else having to buy new ones.


DID YOU KNOW? Drying one load of laundry in the dryer produces 3.48 pounds of the greenhouse gas pollutant carbon dioxide.


JOIN MLS in saving energy by air drying at least one load of clothes a week on a line in the backyard or on a drying rack indoors.


DID YOU KNOW? Up to 50% of the average household’s energy consumption goes to heating and cooling the home.


JOIN MLS in saving energy by lowering the thermostat by 10 degrees when no one is home. It will reduce 326 pounds of greenhouse gases from being emitted over the course of the year and save up to $30 on your energy bill.


DID YOU KNOW? MLS promotes public transit options to all fans and supporters.


JOIN MLS in cutting carbon emission by carpooling, biking or taking public transit to work at least once a week. You’ll reduce your CO2 emissions by 749, 1,385 or 1,264 pounds respectively per year.


DID YOU KNOW? The U.S. is the No. 1 trash-producing country in the world at 1,609 pounds per person per year, three-quarters of which is organic garbage that can be composted.


JOIN MLS in cutting waste by composting just half of your food waste. You could reduce your trash by 603 pounds a year.


DID YOU KNOW? Every second, people in the U.S. consume 1,500 plastic water bottles. About 38 billion of them end up in landfills each year—enough to circle the globe 150 times. Those 1,500 bottles take more than 1,580 gallons of water and 99 gallons of oil to make.


JOIN MLS in cutting waste and saving energy by toting your own water in a stainless-steel, BPA-free bottle.


DID YOU KNOW? In the United States, paper bills generate almost 700,000 tons of waste and almost two million tons of greenhouse gases.


JOIN MLS in cutting carbon emissions by cutting back on paper waste by switching to e-billing.


DID YOU KNOW? There are ways to drive that can dramatically increase fuel efficiency—up to 100 miles per gallon in a hybrid.


JOIN MLS in saving energy by breaking less. Anticipate upcoming stops, step off the gas and let your vehicle run out of momentum.


DID YOU KNOW? Laundry liquids contain up to 80% water. It costs energy and packaging to bring this water to the consumer.


JOIN MLS in saving energy by using concentrated or powder detergents to wash clothes.


DID YOU KNOW? Every year, the United States uses 100 billion plastic bags, which consumes the equivalent of about 12 million barrels of oil.


JOIN MLS to save resources by bringing a reusable bag when shopping at the grocery store.


DID YOU KNOW? “Vampire” electricity demand from electronics can hog up to 8% of your home’s energy—and that’s when they’re not in use!


JOIN MLS in saving energy by plugging all your electronics into power strips and turning them off when not in use.


DID YOU KNOW? If you don’t set the energy-saver mode on your computer properly, you could be generating almost a third of a ton of greenhouse gas pollutants annually while your computer sits idle.


JOIN MLS in saving energy by setting your computer to hibernate when not in use for five minutes.


DID YOU KNOW? MLS clubs have solar panels on their stadiums.


JOIN MLS by choosing renewable energy - Many consumers can now choose their energy supplier. If you have a choice, choose an electric utility that uses renewable power resources.


DID YOU KNOW? Many MLS stadiums use sports lighting that is 50% more energy efficient and cuts energy costs in half.


JOIN MLS by switching to energy efficient lightbulbs like CFLs or LEDs. Household CFLs are 80 percent more efficient than conventional bulbs and last ten times as long. Replacing six bulbs can save you an average of $36 per year in electricity costs.


DID YOU KNOW? Many MLS stadiums conserve energy by using only Energy Star equipment in their kitchens.


JOIN MLS by choosing products with the Energy Star label when buying new appliances or electronics. Energy Star products use 20-40% less energy than standard new products and can save the typical American household about $400 each year in energy bills.


DID YOU KNOW? Many MLS clubs use electronic operations manuals. This saves many trees, thousands of gallons of wastewater, tens of thousands of kilowatt-hours of electricity, and hundreds pounds of solid waste each year.


JOIN MLS and save trees and resources by using less paper. Choose electronic versions and print only when necessary. Set printer settings to double-sided to cut your paper use and costs in half by printing on both sides.


DID YOU KNOW? Many MLS clubs serve certified organic and locally grown food (within 100 miles of the stadium) to help support sustainable agriculture and reduce their carbon footprint.


JOIN MLS by buying food with the USDA Organic label to support farms that don’t feed their animals antibiotics, that preserve natural resources, and that treat animals humanely.


DID YOU KNOW? Many MLS clubs recycle paper, cardboard, glass, plastic, aluminum, food scraps, grass clippings, cooking oil, lamps and light bulbs and electronic waste.


JOIN MLS by recycling and helping to conserve our nation’s valuable natural resources. Participate in your community’s recycling program and put recycling bins around your home to make recycling convenient.


DID YOU KNOW? Many MLS stadiums have water fountains around every corner to help staff and fans avoid wasteful single-serve plastic bottles.


JOIN MLS by refilling a reusable bottle wherever you go and skipping single-serve plastic bottles. Tap water throughout the U.S. is clean, safe and free!


DID YOU KNOW? MLS clubs and venues have put in place initiatives that will collectively reduce the league’s carbon emissions by hundreds of millions of pounds.


JOIN MLS by using public transit and commuting smarter. Share a ride to work, telecommute or use public transit. If each commuter car carried just one more passenger once a week, we would cut America's gasoline consumption by about 7.7 million gallons, helping to reduce our reliance on foreign oil.