Baseball’s Giants Strive for Recycling Pennant

Environmental Science Associates (ESA), a West Coast-based environmental consulting firm, has worked with the San Francisco Department of the Environment and AT&T Park to increase recycling at the home ballpark of the San Francisco Giants.

According to a news release from ESA, recently completed audits show that 3.5 million pounds of material from the ballpark was diverted from landfills in 2009, a rate of 75 percent, up from 57 percent the previous year. “2010 numbers will not be available for some time still, though we expect them to be even better,” says Brett Jackson of ESA regarding recycling efforts.

In addition to exceeding the City of San Francisco’s recycling goal, AT&T Park was recognized by the California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery with a Waste Reduction Awards Program (WRAP) award.

Key to the program’s success, says ESA, was its analysis of existing waste diversion practices and a comprehensive plan for improvements. ESA worked to communicate how to participate and to broaden the accessibility of recycling and composting throughout the ballpark.

Training for concessionaires and Giants’ staff was provided, while partnering with the City of San Francisco’s green job training program – Environment Now – was involved with educating the public.  
“It’s great to work with a world champion organization that’s as dedicated to sustainability as it is to baseball,” says Jeff Caton, director of ESA’s Renewable Resources Practice.

ESA says it will continue to work with the San Francisco Department of the Environment to assist AT&T Park and other businesses and city departments to analyze, improve, inform and plan recycling programs throughout the city.

ESA focuses on resource and land use planning, environmental technical studies and investigations, environmental impact assessment and documentation and environmental compliance. The firm has offices in San Francisco, Oakland, Petaluma, Woodland Hills, Palm Springs, San Diego, Los Angeles and Sacramento, Calif.; Portland, Ore.; Seattle; and Tampa, Fla.

More about ESA can be found at www.esassoc.com.