Minnesota Twins win 2021 Major League Baseball Green Glove Award
MINNEAPOLIS-ST. PAUL, MN – In recognition of the club’s near-100 percent waste diversion rate last year, Major League Baseball today announced that the Minnesota Twins have won the 2021 Green Glove Award. In beating out six other finalists, the Twins become the first club other than the San Francisco Giants or Seattle Mariners to win the award since its inception in 2008.
“Our commitment to sustainability informed the design and construction of Target Field, while guiding how we operate and maintain the ballpark each and every day since first opening its gates,” said Twins President & CEO Dave St. Peter. “There is a shared pride in Target Field’s standing as the ‘Greenest Ballpark in America,’ along with a recognition of the broader impact and importance. I applaud our entire organization, our fans, and our dedicated community and commercial partners, for their tireless and continued efforts to ensure the Twins and our ballpark are true environmental stewards.”
Near-100 percent Diversion Rate
The Green Glove Award is given to the MLB club with the highest diversion rate during the previous year; in 2021, the Twins saved nearly 99 percent of Target Field waste from landfills – a process driven by both the club’s partners and the in-ballpark efforts of fans. The Twins’ home ballpark is thoroughly cleaned following each game and event by St. Paul-based Marsden Services; all accumulated waste is carefully sorted into recyclable items, compostable materials and trash, before being diverted accordingly.
During the 2021 season, 33.8 percent of waste produced at Target Field was compostable; since 2011, the Twins have composted 3,796 tons of organic materials. Another 33.4 percent was recycled – bringing the running 11-year total to 4,743 tons – while 0.8 percent was unused, untouched food from back of house operations that, via partnership with Delaware North and Rock and Wrap It Up! Inc., was donated to local charities. The remaining 31.1 percent was non-compostable and non-recyclable trash that the Twins sent to the Hennepin Energy Recovery Center (HERC), adding to the 4,190 tons of Target Field waste delivered to the HERC since 2011. Once at the HERC, the ballpark’s waste is added to trash collected throughout Hennepin County, with 90 percent of this accumulation then processed in a manner that creates high-pressure steam; this steam generates enough electricity to power 25,000 homes, with a portion piped to 100 downtown buildings, including Target Field, for heating and cooling needs.
“Our organization puts a real emphasis on doing the right thing, the right way and for the right reasons,” said Twins Vice President, Ballpark Operations Dave Horsman. “Waste diversion is important for many reasons, not the least of which is the sheer amount of waste that a professional sports venue can produce. Anything we can do to reduce the potential negative impact of waste is important, and we will find a way to get it done.”
Partners in Environmental Stewardship
The Twins are proud to partner with Eco-Products, Ecolab, Marsden Services, Pentair and Republic Services for sustainability efforts at Target Field.
TARGET FIELD: THE “GREENEST BALLPARK IN AMERICA”
Twins Sustainability Statement
The Minnesota Twins organization believes our future success – both on and off the field – is built on a business model that embraces operational efficiency, environmental stewardship and social responsibility. We honor the power of sport by leading through example, and we will continue to use sport to inspire, build the best fan experience and cause no unnecessary harm, working with our fans, community, suppliers and partners and employees to have a positive influence in the world.
LEED Certified
After the Twins opened Target Field in 2010 as the second Major League Baseball facility to earn LEED Silver for New Construction, the team then became the first professional sports franchise to receive LEED Silver for both construction and Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance (in 2011). In 2017, the Twins became the first to attain LEED Gold for operations and maintenance of their facility; the club earned recertification in 2019. Target Field is also the nation’s first sports venue to earn three levels of LEED certification through Arc, the state-of-the-art digital platform that uses real-time data to help benchmark, measure and improve sustainability performance. Arc is the first of its kind to track progress through a performance score, enabling project teams to make more informed decisions when it comes to sustainability.
USGBC Leadership Award
In recognition of the Minnesota Twins’ outstanding contributions to green building and sustainability in the sports industry, the U.S. Green Building Council honored the organization with a 2019 Leadership Award. The Twins, heralded as a “model for sustainability in the sporting world,” were awarded for using green building and sustainable practices to improve quality of life for those around them.
Capturing and Reusing Rainwater
Through a custom-designed Rain Water Recycle System provided by Minneapolis-based Pentair, the Minnesota Twins have captured, purified and reused nearly 20 million total gallons of rainwater, drastically reducing the use of municipal water at Target Field. The majority of the recycled rainwater is used to wash down the seating bowl attached to the main concourse.
Recycling, Composting and Converting Waste to Energy
Through aggressive recycling and waste-to-energy programs, the Twins have kept nearly 13,000 tons of waste out of local landfills from 2011 to 2021; 4,190 tons of trash have been sent to the Hennepin Energy Recovery Center (HERC); 4,743 tons of waste have been recycled from Target Field; and 3,796 tons of organic materials have been composted and diverted from landfills.
Donating Unused Food to Local Charities
The Minnesota Twins and concession partner Delaware North Sportservice donate more than 10 tons of food to local charities each season. Through a partnership with Rock and Wrap It Up!, Inc., all prepared but untouched meals at Target Field are boxed up and donated to local charities. To date, these efforts have kept more than 63 tons of waste out of local landfills.
Connecting People and Places – Target Field Station
Opened in 2014 at 5th St. N and 5th Ave. N in downtown Minneapolis (north side of Target Field, near Gate 6), Target Field Station is a multi-modal transportation hub offering commuters, baseball fans and downtown visitors connections to hundreds of trains daily via Metro Transit.
Reducing Energy Use via LED Lighting
Installed between the 2016 and 2017 seasons, the field lighting at Target Field was upgraded to LED technology. By reducing fixture count from 746 to approximately 512, energy use was reduced by approximately 55 percent. LED fixtures were also used to illuminate the underside of the ballpark canopy.