NRDC: Game Changer - NBA All-Star Game Case Study (PDF)

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Game Changer: How the Sports Industry Is Saving the Environment

“Through the NBA Green initiative, the league and its

teams are taking steps to become a more environmentally

responsible organization,” said NBA Commissioner David

Stern. “With the NRDC's invaluable partnership, we have

implemented recycling programs, installed energy- and

water-saving ﬁxtures, encouraged the use of sustainable

supplies, and promoted the use of mass transit. We know

there is more we can do, and we look forward to continuing

to work with the NRDC and our teams to help protect our

environment.”

During the launch of the NBA’s green initiative, NRDC

assisted the league with environmental assessments at their

front ofﬁces and at the NBA Store in New York City. NRDC

offered strategic advice to the NBA Store on improving their

procurement and operational practices, including waste

and paper reduction, better paper procurement, low-VOC

and environmentally friendly cleaning products and paints,

an improved recycling program, and energy-efﬁciency

improvements. At NRDC’s suggestion, the NBA removed all

plastic items containing the chemical BPA that might come

in contact with children. This NBA initiative was four years

before the U.S. FDA recommended removing BPA from

plastics.

Environmental features have also been incorporated

into the NBA’s ofﬁces and staff events. For instance, the

NBA’s company-wide picnic in June 2009 reduced the use of

disposable utensils, recycled all aluminum cans and plastic

bottles, and used 100 percent post-consumer recycled paper

products such as sandwich wrap, inner cartons and trays,

napkins, and shopping bags.

Soon after the launch of the league’s environmental

initiative, the “NBA Green” program was formed under the

NBA’s philanthropic NBA Cares program, and NRDC created

customized Greening Advisors that were distributed to all

NBA teams and posted on the NBA’s HomeCourt intranet site.

These web-based advisors provide a comprehensive toolkit

for teams and arenas to green their operations.

In an effort to highlight their growing environmental

initiatives and engage fans, sponsors, partners, and players,

the NBA held its ﬁrst-ever NBA Green Week in April 2009 at all

NBA arenas around the country. As with subsequent Green

Weeks, the league held auctions to support environmental

efforts, sponsored hands-on community service projects, and

featured special on-court apparel.

The inaugural 2009 Green Week also marked the launch

of the NBA Green website at www.nba.com/green, including

NRDC green tips for home and ofﬁce, videos and news about

team and player greening efforts, and links to resources

such as NRDC’s Greening Advisor for NBA. In early 2012, the

NBA collaborated with NRDC to produce a public service

announcement about the league’s greening initiative. This

PSA was shown in all arenas and on broadcast TV, including

ESPN, ABC-TV, TBS, and TNT, as well as NBA-TV, and was

viewed by more than 17 million people. The PSA showcased

NBA’s commitment to renewable energy, recycling, water

conservation, and reduced packaging. NBA plans to air this

PSA each Green Week in the future, and possibly during its

All-Star Game and playoffs.

“One of the things we do well at the NBA is share

information and best practices among all of our teams,”

said Kathy Behrens, executive vice president of social

responsibility and player programs for the NBA. “We’re

NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION

ALL-STAR GAME AND GREEN WEEK

The NBA began working with NRDC’s sports greening

project in 2007 to enhance the environmental proﬁle

of the league. NRDC and NBA launched the league’s

greening initiative by creating an environmental policy

statement that established the league’s goal to improve

their environmental performance, and presented their

sustainability initiative as an institutional priority.

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Game Changer: How the Sports Industry Is Saving the Environment

obviously incredibly competitive when it comes to the game

and the action on the court. But off the court, we really focus

on the things that we can learn from each other, and a lot of

what you see on the NBA Green website is really designed to

help educate our teams and fans.”

The NBA continues to sponsor Green Week each year,

working closely with NRDC to continuously improve

environmental attributes.

For example, the NBA engages in a number of

environmental messaging initiatives. The league’s ofﬁcial

outﬁtter, adidas, has provided All-Star players with shirts

featuring the NBA Green logo and made from 50 percent

recycled polyester. During nationally broadcast games

throughout Green Week, players also wore NBA Green

headbands, wristbands, and socks made from 45 percent

organic cotton. NBA.com held an online auction of Spalding

basketballs incorporating 40 percent recycled content and

autographed by NBA players. The NBA Store, NBAStore.com,

and select team retailers also offered organic cotton NBA

Green t-shirts, hats, socks, headbands, and wristbands for

purchase, along with recycled-content Spalding basketballs.

Each of the league’s 30 teams hosts Green Week

community service events such as tree plantings, recycling

drives, and park clean-up days to encourage fans to get

involved in the league’s greening initiative. Teams have also

hosted in-arena Go Green Awareness Nights, including

promotions of “greener living” tips and auctions to support

environmental protection organizations.

“Thanks to great guidance from the NRDC, the NBA

and our teams continue to implement new measures to

reduce energy consumption and waste throughout all of

our business areas,” said Kathy Behrens. “NBA Green Week

highlights the importance of environmental protection while

encouraging fans to do their part by incorporating green

habits into their daily lives.”

In 2010, league partner HP worked with the Miami HEAT,

the Houston Rockets, and the Dallas Mavericks on special

service projects throughout NBA Green Week, including

a beach clean-up event, and refurbishing homes with

Rebuilding Together.

Also during the 2010 NBA Green Week, the NBA Store

in New York City hosted a footwear drive to collect slightly

worn athletic shoes for donation to Hoops 4 Hope, a global

nonproﬁt organization teaching life skills through basketball

to youth in southern Africa. Customers who brought in shoes

received a 20 percent discount on purchases of new athletic

shoes.

During the 2011 NBA Green Week, the NBA and Sprint

launched a Facebook application called “Unlimited Acts of

Green,” designed to help fans make greener choices in their

daily lives. The app included a list of green acts for fans to

select from, including cell phone recycling, and displayed

the resulting environmental beneﬁts associated with all fan

pledges, including amounts of greenhouse gases, electricity,

and water saved.

Other NBA event greening initiatives have included:

n

NRDC assisted in greening NBA’s EuropeLive tour in

October 2008, which featured NBA games in four countries

in Europe. The 02 arenas being used in London and Berlin

were a showcase for sustainability, as they already had in

place many environmental features. In London, this included

the diversion of 100 percent of food waste for composting

and 100 percent of used cooking oil for biodiesel; advanced

recycling programs for glass, plastic, paper, and cardboard,

which diverted 60 percent of all waste from landﬁlls; a

rainwater catchment and recycling system and other water

conservation measures; enhanced transportation options

that enabled 75 percent of attendees to take mass transit;

and energy-efﬁcient lighting, HVAC equipment, and building

structure.

n

NRDC began its NBA All-Star Game greening collaboration

at the 2008 NBA All-Star Game in New Orleans by arranging

for an energy audit of the New Orleans Arena and adjacent

Louisiana Superdome and Convention Center. NRDC

helped the NBA to improve the existing recycling program

at the arena to include plastic bottles and aluminum cans,

to procure 100 percent recycled content bathroom tissue at

the arena, and to provide hybrid cars for staff transportation

during the event.

n

The 2009 All-Star Game in Phoenix provided the US

Airways Center with a chance to showcase their newly

installed solar power system. The 1,100-panel solar array,

spanning 18,000 square feet atop a parking garage at the

arena, is capable of generating approximately 332 MW of

energy annually. That’s enough energy to power the US

Airways Center for 26 Suns home games—the equivalent

of eliminating the release of 44,000 pounds of carbon

dioxide each year. The NBA also purchased Green-e certiﬁed

windpower RECs from Arizona Public Service, the US Airways

Center’s utility, to offset the equivalent of 1,500 megawatt

hours of power used at the 2009 All-Star Game. Additionally,

the NBA purchased carbon offsets for all generator use at US

Airways Center during the All-Star Game, and for the All-Star

Game Jam Session and NBA Block Party.

n

The 2009 All-Star Game also incorporated comprehensive

recycling and waste reduction efforts. An expanded recycling

program was implemented at US Airways Center, NBA All-

Star Jam Session, the NBA All-Star Block Party, the Phoenix

Convention Center, and Heritage Square (during the NBA

welcome party) for plastic bottles and aluminum cans.

Recycling PSAs were aired in US Airways Center and at the

Jam Session and NBA Block Party to remind all attendees to

recycle their cans and bottles at all events.

n

The 2009 All-Star Game also encouraged and promoted

public transportation options with maps, schedules and

information provided through the Jam Session website. Paper

products, including Jam Session brochures, credentials, ofﬁce

copy paper, media guides, and tickets, were printed using soy

inks on paper with post-consumer recycled content that was

manufactured using windpower.

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Game Changer: How the Sports Industry Is Saving the Environment

Subsequent All-Star Games have continued to expand

on these positive environmental initiatives, incorporating

individual measures appropriate to each venue. Some

additional examples of NBA All-Star Game successes include:

n

Ongoing purchase of renewable energy credits and carbon

offsets to balance power consumed at the All-Star Games.

n

Expanding recycling services in facilities used in All-Star

events.

n

Avoiding potentially harmful polyvinyl chloride (PVC)

plastics in producing banners.

n

Showcasing the use of an electric vehicle used for Jam Van,

with solar panels powering interior accessories.

In addition, the NBA has partnered with host cities and

recycling organizations, as well as companies such as Sprint,

to conduct electronics recycling drives in conjunction with

All-Star Games and Green Week. The NBA and its partner

organizations encourage fans to bring electronics nearing

their end of life to their e-recycling events, where they are

recycled responsibly by e-Steward certiﬁed organizations.

Fans dropping off electronics for recycling receive prizes such

as tickets to NBA All-Star Jam Session, a four-day interactive

basketball event featuring more than 500,000 square feet of

NBA All-Star entertainment. During the NBA All-Star Games

2012 in Orlando, the NBA and Sprint collected 23,000 pounds

of used electronics for recycling.