How to Make the Most of Super Bowl Season

This Sunday is Super Bowl XLIV. Much of my family can't wait, since we are from Indianapolis, and Colts fever runs high. While the game itself may prove to be exiting, the atmosphere and hype around the event is a study in contrasts -- luckily there may be some green linings.

FiLife has a thought-provoking infographic on Super Bowl economics, comparing the expense of the event to the recent disaster in Haiti. While the average per capita annual income in the island nation is a scant $450, the cheapest seats at the Super Bowl cost $1,777 (and go from there up to a whopping $243,000!). The combined value of the two football teams, my hometown Colts and the New Orleans Saints, is 30% of Haiti's entire GDP.

The expensive event does also sit in contrast to the devastation that remains in poor sections of post-Katrina New Orleans. True, some fans are looking at the Saints' bid as a source of pride and hope for the community. And it may be. But it's hard not to at least notice the inequality of champagne caviar luxury boxes when so many are still without adequate housing. It's easy to bah-humbug lavish sporting events, like gladiator battles at the coliseum while the republic burned. Of course, that's not the whole story either, and in our complicated global web of commerce and society it's hard to tease out fair comparisons.

Super Bowl ads this year are controversial enough, right?

We're not saying you can't enjoy the Big Game, since we know some of you could use a little distraction in these troubled times. That's why we put together some suggestions on how to minimize your own impact. At the stadium level, there has been talk of greening the Super Bowl, but it's even easier to start in your own home.

Check out our seven scrumptious Super Bowl party recipes, like natural salsa fresca, hummus or Swiss cheese onion crostinis. Or browse on over to Big Green Boulder's ultimate green Super Bowl guide. There you will find recipes for holistic Super Bowl vegetarian chili and jambalaya. As the Daily Camera suggests, "walk a little lighter on the planet as 300-pound men hit the turf." Plus, got a hankering for potato skins or nachos? Planet Green has ya covered.

If you are watching the game, hopefully it will be on an efficient TV.

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