The Philadelphia Eagles are a groundbreaking, unique partnership with. received Marine protection and The Ocean Foundation to offset all team travel from 2020 through efforts to restore seagrass and mangroves in Puerto Rico. As part of Team ocean, this partnership brings together the tough Eagles Go Green program with the work of Ocean Conservancy in the world of sports, dating back to her role as Ocean Partner for the Miami Super Bowl Host Committee in 2019.

“The Eagles set the standard for professional teams in the United States using their resources to help protect the environment,” said George Leonard, chief scientist, Ocean Conservancy. “We are very pleased that you are joining the Ocean team with this work. We believe this will be a benefit to the ocean, the community in and around Jobos Bay, Puerto Rico, and a valuable addition to the Eagles’ robust environmental portfolio.The Eagles fans can be proud of their team in this critical, global issue leads by example. “

The Ocean Foundation, a partner organization of Ocean Conservancy, will plan and implement seagrass and mangrove restoration in the Jobos Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (JBNERR), a state-protected estuary in the Salinas and Guayama communities in Puerto Rico. The 1,140-acre reserve is a tidal tropical ecosystem dominated by seagrass beds, coral reefs, and mangrove forests, and provides shelter for endangered species including the brown pelican, peregrine falcon, hawksbill turtle, green sea turtle, several species of shark, and the West Indian manatee.

The Eagles offset their carbon footprint in 2020, which included air and bus travel to eight road games, by a total of 385.46 tCO2e. The calculations were made by The Ocean Foundation using the travel dates of the Eagles 2020 itinerary. The funding for this project is structured as follows:

• 80% – Efforts to restore labor and supply

• 10% – Public education (workshops and training to build local academic capacity)

• 10% – Administration and Infrastructure

Ocean Conservancy created the Blue Playbook in 2019 as a guide for professional sports teams and leagues to take action with a view of the ocean. Investing in blue carbon restoration projects is recommended under the Carbon Pollution Pillar and is an area in which the Eagles have proactively invested.

“Our sustainability journey started with a few recycling bins in the office in 2003 and has since grown into a multi-curricular program that now focuses on aggressive action to protect our planet, and that includes the ocean,” said Norman Vossschulte, Director from Fan Experience, Philadelphia Eagles. “This next chapter with Ocean Conservancy is an exciting start given the climate crisis. We met with Ocean Conservancy in 2019 to discuss ocean-related efforts and have since heard from their scientists and experts on the value of. inspires protection of our ocean. Whether you are on the Delaware River, down on the Jersey Shore, or on the other side of the planet, a healthy ocean is vital to all of us. “

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