Like football, helping the environment needs a strong ground game – and to that end, excitement is growing at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa. But not in the way you might think.
The game plan: using carbon-capturing bamboo to create a natural barrier between the stadium grounds and Columbus Drive as an alternative to a previously planned aluminum fence. Gameday drivers and others will be safer, since the bamboo will prevent them from breaking traffic rules by avoiding stadium exit gates. And touchdown: a sustainability effort that may be the first of its kind in U.S. professional sports also ties directly into Tampa Electric’s Net-Zero Carbon Vision for 2050.
Although more and better solar power for the communities we serve is perhaps the most high-profile part of our vision, victories will come from unexpected places – including smart, sustainable planting. Even rookie ideas can make a winning difference.
Bamboo, the fastest-growing plant in the world, also has the tremendous ability to sequester carbon. Using it for functional purposes at Raymond James Stadium was the brainchild of Caleb Quaid, owner of Tampa-based Regenerative Shift, a company that specializes in sustainability planning. Formerly director of Business Administration with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he’s got a home-field advantage.
Tampa Electric, meanwhile, liked his bamboo idea so much it donated 77 cubic yards of mulch to the effort. Along Columbus Drive, you can already see 150 Golden Goddess bamboo plants in place, along with 30 shiny-leaved wild coffee plants. Quaid selected this type of bamboo for the way it grows in a more controlled fashion than other varieties.
And so the next time the Tampa Bay Bucs take the field in competition, a great green wall of plants will stretch across the southern edge of the Raymond James Stadium footprint, reaffirming how the best defense is a good offense.
“Tampa Electric has a long history of community leadership and support of renewable energy and environmental projects in the Tampa Bay region,” Quaid said. “The mulch TECO provided will help build soil organic carbon, nourish the bamboo, and reduce the need for added irrigation, all while supporting a healthy soil microbiome!”
Working to create a healthier environment is more than a team effort – it’s a communitywide one. But unlike the game of football, here’s a chance for everyone to win. No need to fire the cannons, though; some success stories are quiet, like bamboo growing a little more each day. Here at Raymond James Stadium, it quietly answers critical questions: How much does Tampa Electric love the communities we serve, and how committed are we to a healthier environmental future for generations to come?
This mulch – and more.
Come game time for the Tampa Bay Bucs in 2022, this natural, carbon-capturing barrier will be a lot bigger – showcasing a great idea and running with it.
