A few years ago, the management of AT&T Park, home of the World Champion San Francisco Giants, set its sights on becoming the greenest ballpark in the nation. The team has made huge strides toward that goal. Through a strong and committed partnership between PG&E and the San Francisco Giants, AT&T Park has become the first existing ballpark to achieve the honor of attaining Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver Status in 2010.

One of the most noticeable sustainability projects at the ballpark was the installation of 600 solar panels that give power back to PG&E's customers in San Francisco. As of opening day in the 2009 season, the panels have helped to avoid over 757,522 pounds of greenhouse gas emissions. This is equivalent to the amount of energy needed to power 12,155 homes for a day. Also, 226 pounds of nitrogen dioxide emissions have been avoided. This is about how much pollution an average car emits over approximately 27,657 days.

We also turned the garlic fries concession stand, a Giants fan favorite, into a Green Garlic Fries stand that uses 32% less natural gas and reduces utility costs by 53%. A second Green Garlic Fries stand was added last year to keep up with demand!

Another way PG&E has helped AT&T Park is with the installation of the Diamond Vision scoreboard, which uses 78% less energy than the ballpark's original scoreboard. The new lighting fixtures we helped install use 36.5% less energy than the previous fixtures. Throughout AT&T Park, PG&E has been a consultant and a facilitator, helping park management to improve their operations and make them more environmentally responsible. So while you're cheering on the home team, you're also cheering on the home planet.