TAMPA, Fla. — In 2002, wildfires started by arsonists destroyed nearly a half-million acres of mountain forests in North Central Arizona. The damage to the soil was so severe that vegetation was unable to regenerate for five years.

The Super Bowl arrived in Year 6.

The NFL, partnering with the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality, came to the desert in January for Super Bowl XLII and planted more than 10,000 trees in the greater Phoenix area, including 100 acres in the charred Rodeo-Chediski forest regions.

Money isn't the only green passed around at the Super Bowl.

Leave it to the NFL to consider the effects on the planet when staging the greatest sporting spectacle on the planet.

"The NFL realizes we are a leader," said David Krichavsky, the league's director of community affairs. "As such, it is our responsibility to attempt to be first class in everything we do. Part of that responsibility is to the environment."

The emphasis on the environment is magnified at the Super Bowl. But it is practiced daily.

Recycled business materials stock the shelves at league headquarters in New York, as well as those at NFL Films offices in New Jersey and NFL Network offices in Los Angeles. The NFL also has a Green Team, headed by Krichavsky, that makes recommendations to an executive committee that in turn passes on its findings to the 32 franchises.

Some of them don't need advice.

Under owners Jeff and Christina Lurie, the Philadelphia Eagles have been on the cutting edge of environmentally friendly operations since launching a Go Green! initiative in 2003, even offering employees bonuses for driving hybrid vehicles and using alternative energies in their homes.

The Eagles even dressed their cheerleaders in organically produced material and recycled jewelry for their annual swimsuit calendar under the heading of "Eco-Sexy."

The St. Louis Rams partnered with Waste Management as a team sponsor. The Arizona Cardinals introduced a comprehensive community recycling program. The Dallas Cowboys and the New York Giants and the Jets are building billion-dollar stadiums with environmental concerns woven into the blueprints.

"We're not saying all our fans should do X, Y and Z," Krichavsky said. "But we're making sure our house is in order."

For 16 years, the NFL has incorporated environmental principles in the management of its signature events, most notably the Super Bowl, Pro Bowl and Kickoff Weekend. What began in 1993 with a simple recycling push during Super Bowl XXVII in Pasadena, Calif., has evolved into an all-out blitz that sets the bar for professional sports.

"The goal is to leave a legacy and the NFL takes that very, very seriously," NFL Environmental Program Director Jack Groh said. "They don't want to hear pie-in-the-sky global warming stuff, either. They want to see tangible benefits."