Nationals Stadium---An Eco-Friendly Ballpark?

I'm not much of a baseball fan, but I must admit that I was totally stoked to find out that the Washington Nationals are building a stadium, aptly named Nationals Stadium (slated to open on March 30th, 2008), that is striving "to be the first major stadium in the United States accredited as a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System™ certified ballpark." 

According to an April 2008 Fastcompany.com article, the stadium will feature many Earth-friendly features such as energy-efficient field lighting, a "6,317-square-foot green roof over a concession area (that) is planted with about 1,200 drought-resistant sedums", and a revolutionary waste-water system that filters out organic debris and, according to engineers, "water that has gone through the system is cleaner than the water in the nearby Anacostia River."  In addition, the stadium comes complete with an "in-house recycling center is equipped with four 34-cubic-yard dumpster-compactors, big enough to handle the glass, metal, and plastic recyclables generated during one three-day home stand."

This development will set an industry standard that will definitely affect the building practices of stadiums to come.  Heck, come spring/summer 2008, you may just find me rooting on the Nationals (even if it's just to be able to glimpse their awesome green stadium!). 

The Washington Nationals building and playing in a LEED-certified stadium?  Now that's one Green Sexy play!