LOS ANGELES (Tuesday, April 16, 2019) – The LA Galaxy will celebrate the Protect the Pitch Night in conjunction with MLS WORKS Greener Goals Week of Service this week during their match against the Houston Dynamo this Friday, April 19 at Dignity Health Sports Park (7:30 p.m. PT; Univision). Protect the Pitch Night at Dignity Health Sports Park will celebrate and highlight the various ways the LA Galaxy and Dignity Health Sports Park continue to improve and prioritize sustainability efforts.
The LA Galaxy and Dignity Health Sports Park have launched numerous sustainability efforts to reduce carbon footprint and become more sustainable through the Protect the Pitch initiative. This year, the LA Galaxy and Dignity Health Sports Park were nominated for The StadiumBusiness Awards 2019 for the Sustainability & Community Award for their efforts behind Protect the Pitch.
Galaxy Garden
In conjunction with Protect the Pitch Night, all fans attending Friday’s contest can tour the Galaxy Garden free of charge. The Galaxy Garden, an on-site garden and greenhouse that grows fruits and vegetables consumed by the players and staff daily, is located on the southwest corner of the stadium concourse.
Galaxy Express
To reduce carbon footprint, all fans are encouraged to ride Galaxy Express to the match Friday; the first 200 riders on Galaxy Express Friday will receive an LA Galaxy t-shirt. Galaxy Express offers fans free non-stop shuttles to and from Dignity Health Sports Park for every LA Galaxy home match. For all information, visit www.lagalaxy.com/shuttle.
adidas x Parley Eco-Friendly Jerseys
On Friday, the LA Galaxy and Houston Dynamo will wear special adidas x Parley eco-friendly kits as part ofProtect the Pitch Night, marking the fourth-straight year the Galaxy will wear these Parley kits made from ocean waste. These innovative kits, built with Climalite technology, are made from technical yarns comprised of Parley Ocean Plastic™. As part of the global adidas x Parley initiative, plastic waste collected on beaches and in coastal communities is transformed into high-performance sportswear.
The adidas x Parley jerseys will be available for purchase at the LA Galaxy Team Store at Dignity Health Sports Park and also at MLSStore.com. Game worn parley kits will be also available via auction in order to benefit the LA Galaxy Foundation by visiting www.lagalaxy.com/parley. Fans can also text “GALAXY’ to “52182” to bid. The collaboration between MLS, adidas and Parley for the Oceans also serves to encourage fans to decrease their use of single-use plastics and reinforce the importance of changing human attitude and behavior towards plastic pollution through the Parley AIR Strategy: Avoid. Intercept. Redesign.
Bid Now on Game Worn LA Galaxy Parley Kits
Bid Now
Gardening Day at Leapwood Avenue Elementary School
Last week, the LA Galaxy participated in the MLS WORKS Greener Goals Week or Service when they hosted Gardening Day at Leapwood Avenue Elementary School, volunteering with the Garden School Foundation to help beautify the on-site garden at the local elementary school. The project came in conjunction with a larger initiative with the Garden School Foundation that saw the club create and help operate an edible garden at the local Carson elementary school. As part of the project, the LA Galaxy have worked to educate the students on sustainable horticulture and proper garden maintenance so that the students can tend to the garden and grow their own produce, utilizing the Galaxy Garden at Dignity Health Sports Park as a resource.
Beach Cleanup with Surfrider Foundation
Later this year, fans can help support the LA Galaxy’s sustainability efforts by attending the LA Galaxy Beach Cleanup with Surfrider Foundation, which will see staff, supporters and Herbalife Nutrition go to Venice Beach to participate in a beach cleanup on Saturday, June 22. To register for the event, visitwww.lagalaxy.com/community/galaxygiving.
All Dignity Health Sports Park/LA Galaxy Protect the Pitch Initiatives
In-House Resources
- Inside the Galaxy Garden, Dignity Health Sports Park houses chickens in a dedicated chicken coop on site to produce eggs that are used on site for staff and players
- Dignity Health Sports Park is home to four separate beehives that produce over 800 pounds of honey per year
- A greenhouse and garden at Dignity Health Sports Park produces numerous types of vegetables that provide food for tenants of Dignity Health Sports Park
Energy
- Motion sensors save energy by ensuring lights stay off when no one is using them
- New and upgraded LED lights less 60 percent less energy than the lighting array it replaced
- Dignity Health Sports Park is the only soccer-specific MLS stadium to utilize LED stadium lights
- Dignity Health Sports Park uses 1-megawatt of Tesla batteries, allowing the venue to manage energy usage in a more responsible and environmentally friendly way
Water
- The LA Galaxy use recycled water to irrigate fields at Dignity Health Sports Park, reducing potable water use by 33%
- Dignity Health Sports Park uses waterless urinals, low-flow toilets, and faucet aerators to reduce water use in our restrooms
- LA Galaxy train employees to help minimize water use when cleaning up the stadium
Waste and Recycling
- LA Galaxy capture bottles, cans, cups, cardboard, paper, and more through our recycling program
- Dignity Health Sports Park became the first soccer-specific stadium in the country to offer paper straws upon request to minimize plastic straw pollution
- Our composting program sends grass clippings from our fields to a local nursery and brings them back on-site as mulch
- Have irrigated fields and landscaping with recycled water since opening in 2003
Community
- LA Galaxy and Dignity Health Sports Park employees volunteer to help keep our community healthy through numerous initiatives, including planting trees and cleaning up beaches
- The LA Galaxy and Dignity Health Sports Park partner with local nonprofits to organize annual events for Earth Hour, Earth Day, California Clean Air Day and America Recycles Day
Transportation
- Dignity Health Sports Park features on-site bike racks to make it easier for Galaxy fans to bike to the game
- LA Galaxy and Dignity Health Sports Park provide the Galaxy Express service to offer fans free non-stop shuttles to and from Dignity Health Sports Park for every LA Galaxy home match
- The Galaxy Express can be utilized in two separate locations and operate approximately every 10 minutes
