SEATTLE, April 23,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Seattle's Climate Pledge Arena has achieved
the highest waste diversion rate of any sports venue globally at
the time of certification, in just its third year according to The
Green Business Certification Inc. (GCBI).
The home to the Seattle Kraken, Seattle Storm, and the best in
music and live entertainment was awarded TRUE (Total Resource Use
and Efficiency) Platinum certification for its efforts in operating
as a functionally zero waste arena. Administered by Green Business
Certification Inc. (GBCI), TRUE helps facilities measure, improve
and recognize zero waste performance by encouraging the adoption of
sustainable waste management and reduction practices, which
contribute to positive environmental, health and economic outcomes.
The $1.15 billion dollar privately
funded arena is the first venue on the West Coast to receive the
highest-level certification by maintaining a waste diversion rate
of 93%.
"At Climate Pledge Arena, our commitment to zero waste
operations isn't merely a goal; it's ingrained in our core values,"
said Brianna Treat, the Arena's
director of sustainability. "We prioritize not only delivering
exceptional events but also pioneering sustainability within the
sports and entertainment industry. By proactively reducing waste,
we exemplify our dedication to environmental stewardship while
maintaining our position as leaders in providing world-class
experiences."
The arena achieved TRUE Platinum certification with a 91.3%
diversion over a 12-month period. Since that time, the arena has
been able to increase its diversion to 93%. Key steps to reaching
this goal included:
- Elimination of all single-use, fan-facing plastic in the
building. Any product bought within the building is either
recyclable or compostable.
- Implementation of onsite sorting, meaning that each individual
bag of waste collected from the concourse is sorted by the Arena's
housekeeping staff.
- Increased education throughout the building with informational
videos and signage.
- Partnership with artists, including Billie Eilish and Depeche
Mode, to host events promoted as zero waste to improve fan
education.
The success of the Arena's waste operations would not have been
possible without the help of its partners, Pritchard Sports
and Entertainment, WM, and Delaware North, the arena's food and
beverage partner. Pritchard Sports
and Entertainment acts as an extension of the Arena's housekeeping
team and is responsible for the top-notch cleaning of the building
and onsite sorting.
"Our whole organization extends a huge congratulations to the
Climate Pledge Arena team on reaching TRUE Platinum certification,"
said Jason Brock, president of
Pritchard Sports and Entertainment Group. "As one of
only three venues and the first in the West to reach this status,
we are proud to be part of a team that is dedicated to
sustainability and continually looks to go above and beyond each
day to create a significant impact both within the industry and
within their community. This is truly a team achievement led by the
Sustainability Team at Climate Pledge Arena along with the Seattle
Kraken, Seattle Storm, and Fans."
WM functions as the Arena's official recycling
partner and assists the Arena in the collection
and review of all arena-related waste and recycling data. The
waste and recycling data plays a huge role
in assessing sustainability in the building, as it
reflects both the success and areas of improvement
for materials management.
"Climate Pledge Arena hosts millions of visitors each year, and
managing and diverting waste is integral to its identity as a
premier sustainable venue and leader in the industry,"
said Lee Spivak, WM's director of advisory
services. "We're proud to collaborate with this team to help
achieve their sustainability goals and contribute to setting a new
standard for materials management operations in venues. We look
forward to continuing to make progress together!"
The Climate Pledge, announced in 2019 by Amazon and Global
Optimism, calls on signatories to be net zero carbon across their
businesses by 2040—a decade ahead of the Paris Climate Agreement.
In securing the naming rights of the historic arena in June 2020, Amazon named it Climate Pledge Arena
as a regular reminder of the importance of acting to fight climate
change.
In October 2023, the building
became the first arena in the world to receive International Living
Future Institute's Zero Carbon certification. More information
on Climate Pledge Arena can be found at
www.ClimatePledgeArena.com.
About Climate Pledge Arena
Climate Pledge Arena, located at Seattle Center, is the complete
redevelopment of an historic landmark, originally built for the
1962 Seattle World's Fair. The arena is home to the NHL's
Seattle Kraken, WNBA's Seattle Storm, and the world's biggest
performers of live music and events. The arena is named after The
Climate Pledge, an initiative founded by Amazon and Global Optimism
asking global corporations to become net zero carbon by 2040.
Climate Pledge Arena has one of the most progressive sustainability
programs of any building its size, including being the world's
first Zero Carbon Certified arena. Climate Pledge Arena opened
October 19, 2021. For more
information, visit climatepledgearena.com.
About Oak View Group (OVG) Oak View
Group (OVG) is a global sports and entertainment company founded by
Tim Leiweke and Irving Azoff in 2015. OVG's mission is to be a
positive disruption to business as usual in the sports, live
entertainment, and hospitality industries. OVG is
world-renowned as the leading full service live entertainment and
hospitality group, with 11 major new arenas either open or under
development including: Climate Pledge Arena at Seattle Center; UBS
Arena in Belmont Park, NY; Moody Center in Austin, TX; Acrisure Arena in Greater Palm Springs, CA; and CFG Bank Arena
in Baltimore, MD; as well as
arena development projects for Anhembi Arena in São
Paulo, Brazil; FirstOntario Centre Arena in Hamilton, ON; a New Arena and entertainment
district in Las Vegas, NV; a New
Arena in Cardiff, Wales; and
Vienna, Austria. Co-op Live, the most sustainable arena in the
UK will open in March 2024 in
Manchester, UK. OVG360 is a
full-service venue management, hospitality solutions and venue
services company servicing more than 400 arenas, stadiums,
performing arts centers, culture institutions and convention
centers world-wide. More information
at OakViewGroup.com, and follow OVG
on Facebook, Instagram, X, and LinkedIn.
About Pritchard Sports and Entertainment Group
Pritchard Sports and Entertainment
Group, founded in 1997, stands as the premier national cleaning
company uniquely tailored to meet the specialized needs of the
sports and entertainment industry. With an unparalleled depth of
experience, our team brings forth a wealth of institutional
knowledge gleaned from servicing professional sports arenas and
stadiums, convention centers, racetracks, museums, theatres, and
performing arts venues across the nation.
About Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI)
About
Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI) GBCI is the world's
leading sustainability and health certification and credentialing
body, independently recognizing excellence in performance and
practice globally while promoting adoption of building and business
practices that continually and measurably improve health, equity,
resilience and environmental wellbeing for all. GBCI administers
project certifications and professional credentials and
certificates including, Leadership in Energy and Environmental
Design (LEED) green building rating systems, as well as the PEER
standard for power systems, the WELL Building Standard, the
Sustainable SITES Initiative (SITES), EDGE (Excellence in Design
for Greater Efficiencies), TRUE certification for zero waste and
Investor Confidence Project (ICP) for energy efficiency
retrofits.
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SOURCE Climate Pledge Arena