Sustainable sports in San Jose!
With just under a million people, according to a 2013 census estimate, San Jose is a booming tech town right in the heart of Silicon Valley. Don't worry, non-techies will find plenty of exciting places and activities here too! Pack up your laptop, print out some maps and head West!
Levi's Stadium
Drive your San Jose rental car to visit this brand new stadium, opened in August 2014, to catch a San Francisco 49ers game. If you are interested in sustainability, this stadium is a great place to check out as it is the first U.S. professional football stadium to be LEED Gold certified. As a spectator, you will note many efforts to increase sustainability, including displays containing energy measurements and monitoring of the buildings green features, all on a dashboard display inside the stadium between the 49ers team store and 49ers Museum presented by Sony. Other steps to sustainability include the easy access to public transportation, the use of 100 percent reclaimed wood and as much reclaimed building materials as possible, the use of reclaimed water for drinking and field irrigation, and special attention to using local suppliers for concessions. In the stadium you'll note the pedestrian bridges are solar panels, generating much of the electricity for the building. The 2016 Super Bowl will be held here, but you don't have to wait that long to visit this innovative new space!
San Jose Flea Market
George Bumb Jr. worked for a solid waste and landfill business. He knew there had to be some way to make a profit off of the items he saw filling up the landfills. He heard of Los Angeles swap meets and decided to start his own. Opened in 1960, this flea market started out as 20 sellers and attracted 100 customers. Now over 4 million people come every year to spend the day perusing the more than 120 acres. Foodies unite at the over 30 snack bars and 60 food carts with options ranging from BBQ and popcorn to beer and lemonade. If you bring the kids check out the FunZone with a Ferris wheel, merry-go-round, and bounce houses. If you love your local farmers market this is sure to be some form of heaven.
Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum
It all started with a Sekhmet statue. This lion goddess piece graced the desk of H. Spencer Lewis, who founded AMORC, the Rosicrucian Order, in 1915 to educate the public on ancient Egypt. The single lion goddess was joined by pieces from other order member's collections and the museum was formed. Today the more than 4,000 artifacts housed here make up the largest collection of Egyptian artifacts in the Western half of North America. Tours and workshops as well as scholarships and research keep this museum alive. Stop by to see mummies, stoneware, statues and more, some items used in Egyptians daily life and other used for worship or burial practices. Keep the mummy jokes to a minimum, they've heard it all before!