Supporting the Green Sports Movement
2 min readLast week, Constellation representatives attended the eighth annual Green Sports Alliance Summit. The Green Sports Alliance “leverages the cultural and market influence of sports to promote healthy, sustainable communities where people live and play,” and Constellation has proudly been a corporate member since 2015. At this year’s summit, Constellation efficiency solutions manager, Divesh Gupta, spoke on a panel discussing case studies in energy efficiency.
Here are 3 key takeaways from the Summit:
Play Greener: Get in the Game
The theme of this year’s conference, Play Greener: Get in the Game, showcased how sports teams, players, facilities and partners are working together to spread the message of sustainability though sports. Sports arenas, facilities and golf courses need to find the sustainable solutions that work for them, such as solar, co-generation, battery storage, and electric vehicle charging stations in order to lead by example by providing visibility to the message and galvanizing their passionate fan bases. There are 38 stadiums in the United States that have incorporated solar.
Read more: Constellation Teams Up to Green Up Baltimore Ravens Under Armour Performance Center
Summit Venue: Mercedes-Benz Stadium
The Green Sports Alliance Summit was held in Atlanta, Georgia, at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium, home of the Falcons and Atlanta United. The stadium officially opened in August of 2017 and is the first professional sports stadium in the United States to be awarded LEED Platinum certification. The stadium was the perfect backdrop for a conference focused on sustainability in sports and a host of speakers from the stadium, the team, and the city were on the agenda including Scott Jenkins, General Manager, Mercedes-Benz Stadium and Arthur M. Blank, owner of the Atlanta Falcons and Atlanta United.
The stadium includes a variety of sustainability measures including LED lighting, LED video boards, solar panels, capture and storage of rain water, alternative transportation options and recycling. In designing the stadium, the ownership showed a commitment to the environment and sustainability along with a commitment to community and the city of Atlanta.
The Fan Experience: New Approaches and Benefits in Energy Efficiency
In a workshop hosted by Norman Vossschulte, Director of Fan Experience for the Philadelphia Eagles, Constellation provided insights into how we help businesses, sports facilities, and arenas meet their efficiency goals with energy solutions like Efficiency Made Easy® (EME). Through the EME program, Constellation efficiency experts visit a facility to review the energy consumption and look for opportunities for improvement. Primary efficiency measures include LED lighting, water and sewer conservation, building automation and electric vehicle charging stations.
As the PGA of America’s preferred energy choice, Constellation experts also work with local golf courses and PGA Professionals to improve efficiency and sustainability within their clubs. In this workshop, Gupta outlined a project with Liberty National Golf Club that included a retrofit of interior and exterior lighting fixtures for nearly 1,300 state-of-the art, energy efficient LED lamps. This project significantly reduced long-term energy usage and maintenance costs, improved member and guest experience and no upfront capital was required.
Teams and leagues can educate fans like the PGA did by issuing their first Social Responsibility Report and Major League Baseball gives out the Green Glove Award to recognize MLB Clubs that take action to support environmental sustainability.
While it is important to use sports to usher in social changes, this moves beyond the concept of just “trash and trees.” Meaning, teams need to set sustainability goals and measure results. If you are interested in learning more about efficiency programs to help you meet environmental sustainability goals, find out how Constellation can help today.