The Houston Astros will launch their “Astros Play Green” campaign starting April 22, which is Earth Day. The campaign, building off a club initiative that began last summer, will strive to create awareness regarding environmental initiatives in the city of Houston. The Astros were the first sports team in the city of Houston to launch a recycling campaign that was interactive, and they encouraged their fan base to take steps to aid the environment. At the team’s April 22 game, the Astros will wear special green baseball hats. An expo featuring local earth-friendly vendors will be held prior to the game. The first 10,000 fans will receive a green Astros cap and a canvas eco-tote bag. Some of the elements of the campaign include: the club will compost ballpark infield and outfield grass cuttings to use as fertilizer; paper products such as ticket brochures, pocket schedules, and paper towels will be printed on partial post-consumer recycled materials; the use of recyclable light bulbs; and manual paper towel dispensers will be swapped out for automatic dispensers. (Team PR)

A great promotion that takes the concept all the way….composting clippings, changing light bulb and acting in a “green” way.  An impressive attention to details.

This reminds me of one of my favorite Promotion Spotlights: the Grow Your Own Bat Night. This is actually a giveaway of a tree sapling that fans plant.  This was posted about 6 years ago (which might have been a little ahead of it’s time “green”-wise).   Check it out.

I have also nominated this for the 2008 Best of Gameops.com Award for Game Day Promotion.

–Cudo

PS:  This Astro jersey was my childhood favorite….I think I have grown out of that.