Earlier this month, the San Francisco 49ers scored a new first: the field they call home, Levi’s® Stadium, became the first in the National Football League to earn dual Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certifications from the United States Green Building Council (USGBC). Go green!
The second Gold certification was given to the stadium for its work around operations and maintenance of an existing building. The first was awarded back in 2014, when Levi’s® Stadium was the first pro football team stadium to open with LEED Gold certification for new construction.
Receiving LEED certification is no small task for any building project—let alone an entire stadium. The buildings are all required to satisfy sustainable prerequisites in areas such as water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection, indoor environmental quality, and maintenance enhancements. Points are then earned that correspond with different levels of certification—from “Certified” all the way up to “Platinum.”
“Achieving LEED Gold the first time is a worthy achievement,” said Rick Fedrizzi, Founding Chair and CEO of USGBC. “But achieving it a second time… is tremendous leadership. Levi’s® Stadium has demonstrated just this kind of leadership, showing a commitment to the kind of ongoing performance improvement that is so critical to our future.”
Levi’s® Stadium achieved its latest LEED certification in several ways, including:
- Installing efficient water fixtures to reduce water consumption by 44 percent
- Offsetting 37 percent of its electricity and natural gas use with Green-E certified Renewable Energy Credits (RECs) and nearly 20,000 square feet of solar panels.
- Diverting nearly 63 percent of waste from the landfill.
- Going well beyond the performance threshold level of existing LEED credits by purchasing 100 percent Energy Star qualified equipment.
Scoring on Climate Change
During its inaugural “Green Sports Day” this month, the 49ers were also recognized by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) as a sports organization contributing to the fight against climate change and its effects on our communities.
The White House office recognized the stadium for “lowering greenhouse-gas impacts from concessions through their new 4,000 square foot rooftop farm and educating kids on sustainability through its free school STEAM field trip program, serving 60,000 Bay Area K-8 students each year.”
From the 1,000-plus state-of-the-art solar elements found throughout the building to its automatic sensors and high-efficient energy management system, Levi’s® Stadium was designed to be one of the most compelling sports and entertainment venues in the country—all while maintaining a disciplined green approach to sustainable design elements.
In just over two years, Levi’s® Stadium has managed to receive multiple sustainability awards for its use of reclaimed wood and other recycled materials, for its use of recycled water, and for implementing sustainability into its supply chain method.
Click here for a full list of environmental awards and more information regarding the stadium’s technology and sustainability.
