Eco-Friendly Practices @ The Eddy
How Rapids Youth Soccer & The Eddy Are Contributing To A Greener Community
Posted by: Colorado Rapids Youth Soccer Staff
Colorado Rapids Youth Soccer is committed to sustainable and eco-friendly practices at The Eddy as a part of the Aurora and greater Denver community. Part of being a community member is contributing to the greater good. Along with providing quality coaching and facilities, The Eddy has taken strides to limit our environmental footprint. This includes using electricity wisely, recycling, and using environmentally friendly office products. Follow along for tips on how you can have a more eco-friendly space.
Energy & Lighting
Colorado summers can be very warm making it hard to focus. Rather than turn on the air conditioner and using more electricity, The Eddy will be opening its doors to allow natural airflow. The Colorado Rapids Youth Soccer office staff works with less overhead lighting while field are not in use to conserve energy. With 41,000 sq/ft of room in the facility, that’s a lot of lights. Field lights remain off throughout the day to conserve energy unless there are classes or individual sessions. All lights over fields use LED tube efficiency lighting to provide light using less energy. The Eddy’s lights have sensors throughout the building to be sure that if there is no activity in an area, there is no energy use.
Paper & Print
Rapids Youth Soccer is constantly pushing to bring the best soccer programs and services to the Colorado community. Collaboration within the office takes place in a mixed environment of printed and digital materials. In an effort to reduce our environmental footprint, the staff has adapted various file sharing tools to work with less paper and ink. This includes technology training and digital tools to avoid constant printing. The office printer operates in energy saver mode at all times to prevent waste and promote healthy electricity habits. Staff and facility members are working hard to develop and implement policies to set an eco-friendly framework that is efficient for the club, its members, and the community.
Water
As a sports facility we are constantly utilizing water for hydration and cleanliness. To conserve water we have installed aerators on the restroom faucets to prevent water waste. The Eddy has water fountains and a water refilling station to reduce the use of plastic water bottles. All water refilling stations also include a no-touch electronic sensor to prevent the spread of germs. As of February, the water station has saved over 10,000 plastic bottles from being thrown away in landfills.
Vending
The Eddy provides healthy snacks through vending machines within the parent viewing area. Machines are stocked with organic and health food items that promote an active lifestyle. As the facility’s retail options grow, Rapids Youth Soccer is committed to providing nutritional foods that parents and players will enjoy even more.
Recycling
With large crowds of players and parents using the facility, there are bi-products of use. The Eddy is committed to re-purposing as many bi-products as possible through recycling. Recycle bins are placed throughout the facility to give players and parents eco-friendly options. Staff members transport recycling donations to the local facility each week. We are currently working toward a ratio of 2:1 for recycling bins to trash cans.
With such a large space there are constantly improvements being made. The Eddy has been outfitted with a top-of-the-line health and safety conscious synthetic turf. The synthetic turf differs from normal turf because of its sand based infill. This infill is more eco-friendly and safe for playing sports than the previous generation of turf due to its natural origins.
Be sure to stop in for drop-in soccer on Sunday mornings or call in to reserve field space to experience The Eddy firsthand!
