Think Green: Your primer for this week's green initiatives

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SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- For the second consecutive year, Waste Management is the title sponsor of the PGA TOUR's annual stop in Phoenix.

David Aardsma, Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Waste Management, discussed his company's green initiatives this week with the PGA TOUR Network. Click to listen

The company's message for this week is a simple one: Save the planet.

As the players compete for the tournament championship and the fans enjoy all the action at TPC Scottsdale, Waste Management is using this week to showcase its environmental initiatives and educate others on the importance of recycling and alternative energy.

As TOUR commissioner Tim Finchem said: "This isn't a situation where a company like Waste Management is talking about the problems in the environment or talking about green initiatives. This is a company that's really doing something about it in a very significant way."

Now that it's time to get ready for The Greenest Show on Grass, we've put together a few "green" items of our own.

The calculated number of mature trees that were saved during last year's Waste Management Phoenix Open due to the recycling of waste. In addition, 4,500 gallons of oil and more than 300,000 gallons of water were the calculated savings. Waste Management officials are hoping for an increase this year. Recycled golf balls that were used to make the Waste Management floating logo that appears on the lake at the 18th hole at TPC Scottsdale. After the event, the golf balls will be donated to the local chapter of The First Tee or recycled. The amount that Waste Management will donate to the "Keep America Beautiful" charity in the name of the player who is closest to the pin (cumulative total) on the par-3 16th during the four days of competition. Last year, Rickie Fowler was closest to the pin. The percentage of renewable sources -- such as natural gas collected from landfills -- that will power this year's tournament. The hospitality tent at the 18th hole will be entirely solar-powered using a SunPod unit installed outside the tent.

Here are some of the green initiatives you'll see at TPC Scottsdale this week:

Recycling Stations: Will be staffed with Recycling Ambassadors who can answer questions about what can and cannot be recycled and where the waste should go. Waste Management is utilizing more than 200 volunteers to educate fans about recycling.

Compressed Natural Gas Trucks: These trucks help transport waste and recycled materials that are collected during the tournament. The fuel in these trucks burns cleaner than a diesel truck and will help reduce fleet emissions associated with transportation.

Solar-Powered Compactors: There will be 60 of these compactors along the course so that fans can dispose of their food waste. These machines hold five times the amount of waste as a normal bin, which reduces the trips needed to service them.

GreenOps Recycling Kiosks: Fans who use these on-the-go kiosks will receive coupons from other tournament sponsors.

Food Composting Bins: One of the new items this year are composting bins. All of the food waste -- also referred to as organics -- will be sent to a food digester, where it will be turned into compost and used in the local community for gardening, soil, etc.

Saturday will be "Green Out" day at the Waste Management Phoenix Opens. Fans who are attending the third round are encouraged to wear green -- preferably a green shirt -- at TPC Scottsdale. In addition, PGATOUR.COM will look slightly different on Saturday with its own special green look. The primary purpose of the Green Out is to raise awareness of the green and eco-sensitive efforts of the golf tournament and Waste Management. In addition, tournament host Thunderbirds will donate money for every person who wears green on Saturday. While wearing a green shirt is encouraged, Charley Hoffman mentioned this week that he was contemplating an all-green outfit for Saturday (click here for story). So that got us thinking -- would any fan take it up a notch by showing up in a green costume? We did a quick search and found these four "green" costumes available. If you see someone at TPC Scottsdale wearing one this week, you can thank us (or, more likely, blame us!). JOLLY GREEN GIANT GREEN HORNET THE RIDDLER GREEN LANTERN

Waste Management is committed to turning waste into a resource by using the four Rs:

REDUCE: Minimize or eliminate waste

REUSE: Creatively find ways to use one product in multiple ways

RECYCLE: Triple the amount of recylables the company manages nationwide by the year 2020

RECOVER: Turn waste into energy utilizing landfill gas and other technologies, and double the amount of energy generated from garbage.

To learn more about the company's green initiatives, click here for the official website.

Nathan Green (left) has the most fitting name of any player in the field at this week's Waste Management Phoenix Open. But obviously he isn't the first PGA TOUR player with the last name of Green. In fact, we did a little research of PGA TOUR all-time statistics and found no less than 36 golfers with the last name of Green. In addition, there have been players named Greenbaum, Greenbach, Greene, Greenfield, Greenhill, Greenhaw, Greenleaf, Greenwood, Greenwell and Greenwald.