Celebrating Earth Day with the Spokane Indians

Spokane, WASH. - In 2019, the Spokane Indians expanded sustainability efforts with the announcement of the Zero Waste campaign and the stated goal of achieving Zero Waste Facility status at Avista Stadium. In 2021, Spokane County Regional Solid Waste joined the campaign, but the overall objective remained the same: to be an industry leader in sustainability in Minor League Baseball. In addition to waste reduction efforts, the Spokane Indians have identified energy and water initiatives as a way to round out the environmental strategy.

WASTE

Over 60 Zero Waste stations with directive signage have been installed throughout the stadium to help fans get their waste into the proper stream – Landfill, Compost, or Recycling. To educate and further engage fans, there are nightly PA announcements, radio spots, and several promotional elements tied to the zero waste efforts including a recycle-focused between inning promotion and Kids Zone games. In addition, there are dedicated waste reduction staff members called the

Green Team: One of the duties of this group is running the in-house sorting area which is located behind the right field bench seats. Sorting occurs during and after every home game in the “Compost Corner”. You will also see the Green Team wearing their Spokane County Regional Solid Waste branded shirts during the game on the inner concourse keeping the stadium clean, educating fans, and answering questions. During the 2021 season the diversion rate (recycling and compost waste that doesn’t go to a landfill) at Avista Stadium was 58%. In 2022 the Indians are looking to build on this success, switching several concession items to compostable containers and improving sorting practices.

ENERGY

The Spokane Indians have been conscious of energy usage since 2001 when game times were moved to 6:30 PM, taking advantage of natural light and reducing energy consumption. During the 2022 season Saturday games in April and May will start at 5:09 PM and all Sunday games (with the exception of the season finale) will start at 1:05 PM.

Solar panels were installed on the administrative building in 2013, and they have been providing power to the grid for over eight years now. In addition, the Spokane Indians participate in Avista Utilities programs centered around carob footprint reduction and investment in solar and other renewables. Most notably, the Spokane Indians have been a part of the Avista “My Clean Energy” program since 2010. A program that provides an avenue for customers to support renewable energy projects and offset their carbon footprint. To date, the Spokane Indians have contributed to an offset equivalent of 94.4 metric tons of CO per year.

The Spokane Indians are committed to working with Avista on improving the energy efficiency of Avista Stadium.

WATER

In 2017, the Spokane Indians Baseball team, together with the Spokane Tribe of Indians and City of Spokane introduced the Redband Rally Campaign in honor of Spokane’s signature fish, the native Redband Trout. This campaign is designed to bring awareness to the Redband trout’s habitat in the Spokane River while rallying the community to protect and keep the river clean.

To create a visible presence and to honor the native Redband trout, the baseball team introduced a new logo that is featured on apparel, signage, headbands, and artwork. In addition to in-stadium promotions, the Spokane Indians established the Redband Rally Fund to financially support local and regional projects that further the campaign’s mission. To date the fund has raised nearly $40,000 and helped to support several projects that improve Redband habitat and the health of the Spokane River.

You can help further our mission with a donation to the Redband Rally campaign through our partners at the Innovia Foundation, or by purchasing official Redband Rally merchandise as a portion of each sale is donated to the Redband Rally fund.

ABOUT THE SPOKANE INDIANS

The Spokane Indians are the High-A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies located in Spokane, Washington, and were named 2021 MiLB Organization of the Year. Avista Stadium is home to the MultiCare Kids Bench Seat. Parking at all Spokane Indians games is FREE. The Spokane Indians office and team store hours are 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM on Monday through Thursday and 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM on Fridays. On game days, the office and team store are open from 10:00 AM through the end of the game.