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The Astros are proud to be a leader in the efforts to help preserve the environment. In 2008, we launched the Play Green® campaign and we continue to lead the way in Earth-friendly initiatives in the greening of sports movement.
The Astros hosted the Cardinals and Brewers during Play Green Week at Minute Maid Park! The week featured green-themed promotional items and events all week to encourage fans to do their part and Play Green®!
Play Green Week included: a Play Green Vendor Expo in Conoco Home Run Alley; Minute Maid Park powered on Renewable Energy Credits; the Astros wearing Play Green Field Caps; a Habitat for Humanity Home Build; an Adopt-A-Block litter clean-up; a Greenest Classroom School Visit; and a Bike to the Ballpark. Green giveaway items included a reusable grocery tote bag, presented by the Methodist Transplant Center, a Play Green T-Shirt, courtesy of Waste Management, and a Hunter Pence Play Green Bobblehead, brought to you by Grand Slam for Youth Baseball.
Play Green® ExpoThe Play Green® Expo located in Conoco Alley featured numerous companies and environmental organizations highlighting their green initiatives and providing educational information for fans interested in becoming more involved in Earth-friendly efforts. Participants include Anheuser-Busch, The John C. Freeman Weather Museum, Discovery Green, Comp-u-Cycle, Recyclebank, NuRide, We CAN Recycle, METRO, Miller Outdoor Theater, Dahill and Keep Houston Beautiful.
Habitat for Humanity Home Build
On Wednesday, April 27th, Astros and FOX Sports Houston (FSH) front office staff worked side-by-side to help build a green Habitat for Humanity home. Several green features include vinyl, low E, double pane windows with a sunglass tint, 5/8" roof decking with a radiant barrier coating, high rating 16 SEER, 2.5 ton cooling system with 95 AFUE furnace and the entire home is wrapped in 7/16" OSB sheathing then covered with a 3/4" sheet of Dow high-performance Energy Star rated underlayment. Hunter Pence joined the group from 11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. The home is located at 8801 Sterlingshire St., Houston, TX 77078.
On Tuesday, November 29th, in partnership with Keep Houston Beautiful, members of the Astros front office staff participated in another "Adopt-a-Block" litter pick up for 2011. Astros staff collected 14 bags of litter from their adopted block located at McKinney and St. Charles, less than one mile from Minute Maid Park. The Astros adopted the block in 2008 and continue to visit the block four times a year to ensure its upkeep.
Chris Johnson visited fifth grade students at Heritage Elementary School on Friday, April 29 from 12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. A LaPorte ISD school, the students are actively involved in various conservation activities on their campus. In addition to recycling cans, using scrap paper, and the backs of advertisements for assignments, students keep re-usable water bottles at their desk and once a quarter they walk the grounds and the boys compete against the girls to see who can pick up the most litter. Johnson's visit rewards the kids for their Earth-friendly efforts and while there, he read Curious George Plants a Tree, present the kids with their own autographed copy of the book along with tickets to that evening's game where they were recognized in a pre-game ceremony. Heritage Elementary School is located at 4301 East Blvd., Deer Park, Texas 77536.
The visit is part of the Astros Play Green® school initiative, designed to teach students at an early age about the environment and conservation to assist them in building a lifetime of responsible actions that make a positive difference. Heritage Elementary School was the Grand Prize winner in the Astros Greenest Classroom online contest. Teachers and students were invited to submit an essay that demonstrated what their classroom was doing to be green. The winning class received a special player visit, 100 tickets to the April 29 game and recognition on the field prior to the game. Woodland Acres Elementary School in the Galena Park ISD was the First Prize winner and received 50 tickets to the April 29 game.
Bike to the Ballpark
This inaugural event capped off the team's week-long Play Green® celebration and gave biking enthusiasts a chance to join the organized five-mile ride from TC Jester Park in the Heights to Minute Maid Park prior to the team's 1:05 p.m. game against the Brewers. For only $10, fans received a ticket to the game, an event packet that included a personal bib number, goodie bag filled with various "green" items and each fan registered for the event was entered into a raffle for a new bike, courtesy of Bike Barn. The Astros offered a complimentary bike inspection at the starting location along with a bike valet at Minute Maid Park.
On Tuesday, November 15th, Houston Astros staff teamed up with Keep Houston Beautiful, Christison Landscaping, Tree Town USA, HLS Enterprises and the City of Houston to complete the second installment of Home Runs for Trees for the 2011 season. Astros staff planted 24 trees in the Acres Homes neighborhood, representing the Astros home runs hit at Minute Maid Park from June 30th through the end of the season.. With the Addition of the 24 trees planted on Nov. 15th, Home Runs for Tress has resulted in 277 trees since the program's inception in 2008.
Chris Johnson made his second Greenest Classroom visit of the season to 50 fourth-sixth graders taught by Ms. Adalia Azuara, science specialist at Wilson Montessori School on Monday, September 26, from 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. The Greenest Classroom visit is sponsored by Devon Energy and wraps up the 2011 Play Green® in Education initiative.
A Houston ISD school, every student is taught the value of recycling. Each class collects and recycles paper and other recyclable products. In addition, the school has raised more than $300,000 in less than a year through area contributions to build the Wilson Wonder Ground park. This park will feature recycled materials in many of the design elements. Wilson Montessori and Rice Engineering are also collaborating to develop a "metalab", an indoor-outdoor lab that will be located adjacent to the park. Created using a traditional overseas shipping container retrofitted with storefront glass, the students will experience first-hand lessons on renewable resources. The lab will run on alternate energy and feature solar panels, a wind turbine and a hand pump giving students access to water during outside labs and serving as a water source for the Children's Garden.
Johnson's visit rewards the kids for their Earth-friendly efforts and while there, he read Curious George Plants a Tree and presented the kids with their own autographed copy of the book along with tickets to Monday's game against the Cardinals where they were recognized in a pre-game ceremony.
As part of the ongoing effort to raise awareness on environmental issues, during each homestand the Astros feature an environmental community group of the game.
2011 Groups: April 12 - Bike HoustonBikeHouston's goals are to secure equitable access to regional facilities, lands and roads; educate the public about rights and responsibilities of bicyclists; and promote public awareness of the personal and community benefits of cycling. BikeHouston also provides financial support and assistance to local, state, and national organizations that promote cycling.
The Astros are committed to sustainable environmentally-friendly operations. Play Green® initiatives:
Did you know? Minute Maid Park currently...
