SportsTurf provides current, practical and technical content on issues relevant to sports turf managers, including facilities managers. Most readers are athletic field managers from the professional level through parks and recreation, universities.
Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/726375
STMA IN ACTION News from the Sports Turf Managers Association 46 SportsTurf | October 2016 www.sportsturfonline.com "DOUBLE THE GREENING" OF THE RED BULLS S TMA announces that the Red Bulls have achieved environmental facility certification for two of its facilities: Red Bull Training Facility in East Hanover, NJ, and Red Bull Arena in Harrison, NJ. Both facilities are managed by grounds team Dan Shemesh, Zachary Holm, Neal Sitzman and Dylan Martin. This is a new certification program that STMA has been developing for 4 years and rolled out to the membership in June. The Red Bull Training Facility was the first to achieve the designation of Environmentally Responsible Management within the program. In addition to the Red Bull facilities, Elon University Sports Complex managed by Scott Stevens, CSFM, in Elon, NC and Prairie Ridge Sports Complex, managed by Elliott Josephson in Ankeny, IA have also earned the designation. Fifteen other facilities are in various stages of environmental certification. To achieve certification, the first step is for the sports field manager to assess best management practices in 10 environmental areas. If an 80 percent or higher score is attained, the facility then qualifies to have the facility attested by qualified reviewer, such as an academic in turfgrass or environmental sciences, a Certified Sports Field Manager or an active member of an environmental organization. Zachary Holm submitted the paperwork on behalf of his team for the Red Bull facilities. When asked about the process, Zach says, "I think the process was fair. For us, we were very fortunate that a lot of planning went into the construction. Without things like the retention ponds at the training facility or the storm water filters at the stadium, I don't think we could have passed. These were all things that were planned during construction." He also sees that that the process evaluates practices that sports turf managers are doing. "I would say a majority of the things sports turf managers should be doing already, like mowing with sharp reels/blades and walking the fields, are evaluated. I think the attesting process was great. We were able to get my advisor from college, Dr. Douglas Linde, to come attest for us. He was honest, fair and if he needed something explained he wouldn't hesitate to ask. He was also a fresh set of eyes to look at some of the things we answered 'no' or 'addressing' to offer a solution." Zach went on to answer a number of questions about the program. SportsTurf: Why did your sports field management team decide to pursue environmental certification for your two facilities? Holm: We decided that we were going to pursue this environmental certification when it was announced at the STMA Conference in San Diego. Once the application was available in June we quickly worked to get the application submitted. We felt it was important to show our commitment to the environment. SportsTurf: As sports field managers who work on natural grass fields, how important is environmental responsibility to your employer and to your community? Holm: I think environmental responsibility is very important to our club. Our stadium was built on an old brownfield site and sits close to water. Our training facility is surrounded by protected wetlands so it is our responsibility to be committed to the environment. For any professional team, I think it is important to be environmentally responsible as sports teams are often role models in their community. SportsTurf: Tell us a bit about the environmental "climate" in New Jersey? Holm: I think the environmental climate in New Jersey probably falls in the middle of the pack compared to the rest of the United States. When it comes to fungicides and other pesticides I think companies have an easier time getting labels approved in our state versus states like California and New York. However, we have ProFact fertilizer laws in New Jersey that restrict our fertilizer usage amounts. Those new laws haven't affected us a lot as we tend to shy away from large amounts of granular fertilizer that the laws target. A big part of the fertilizer law is zero phosphorus, which does affect us some. Other things like blowing fertilizer off of sidewalks and not applying it next to water are things everyone should be doing regardless of laws—just being good stewards of our environment. I think because of our location we are under a little extra scrutiny for how we