U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, home of the Minnesota Vikings, has made sustainability news by becoming the first sports stadium to earn LEED Platinum certification the Building Operations and Maintenance rating system. The stadium, which opened in 2016, implemented several measures to get its existing building to Platinum. The facility has diverted 1.86 million pounds of recyclables from landfills and 950,000 pounds of compost. The stadium uses renewable energy credits to power the stadium with 100 percent wind power.
Unfortunately, the news has not been all good for the stadium. A recent study into bird deaths at U.S. Bank Stadium reveals the home of the Vikings is one of four buildings in downtown Minneapolis that contribute to a majority of fatal collisions, according to WCCO. The $300,000 study, which was funded by the Vikings and the Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority, concluded that an estimated 111 fatal bird collisions happen at the stadium every year.
The other three buildings that also experience high number of bird deaths were not named in the study, which was led by a bird-mortality expert at Oklahoma State University. The study was commissioned after complaints by environmental groups which suggested the Vikings' stadium, with its huge glass doors and facade, would be disastrous for migratory birds.
Dan Hounsell is editor-in-chief of Facility Maintenance Decisions.
