Develop Willets Point

To kick off the week, it seems appropriate to highlight the fact that Citi Field, the new home for the New York Mets, is going to be a very green stadium. In case you’ve missed it, one of the best parts of the proposed development of Willets Point is the fact that the area would turn into the first completely green neighborhood in New York City. The Mets are already leading the way with a plethora of environmental features in Citi Field.

The Mets have chosen to build the stadium with 95% recycled steel, install a green roof above the administration building, incorporate water-saving devices in the restrooms and under the stadium, and use lower-energy lights that take advantage of reflections in order to light the field while using far less energy. That’s just to name a few of the features.

Alan Steinberg of the Environmental Protection Agency, as quoted in the mlb.com article:

“The Mets deserve an environmental MVP for their efforts to reduce the carbon footprint and the waste stream from the construction and operation of their new ballpark.”

So at the end of the day, it’s great to see the Mets leading the way in terms of taking an environmental initiative. I don’t know the environmental aspects of the other new stadium under construction in New York City, but the Mets haven’t taken away a park and have managed to design and construct one of the most environmentally sound stadiums in the country.

It would be great if Willets Point followed in those footsteps.