Rose Garden Arena Sustainability Tour
Posted on July 13, 2012 by Andrea Crosby
Tags, Climate and Conservation, Legislative & Political, Public Involvement and Coalitions
On June 29th, I attended a sustainability tour at the Rose Garden Arena with fellow CUB staffer Gordon Feighner. At first, we were confused by the invitation because the Trail Blazers and sustainability aren’t two things we normally put together. Well, from now on, we will! The Blazers and the Rose Garden’s management team have completed impressive measures and upgrades to make the arena more sustainable as a building and also as an experience for visitors and fans.
The tour was led by Justin Zeulner, the Director of Sustainability and Planning for the Blazers and the Rose Garden, and organized by the Bullitt Foundation and the Green Sports Alliance (GSA). Joining us on the tour were representatives from Oregon Environmental Council, Climate Solutions, Renewable Northwest Project, Center for Diversity and Environment, Coalition for A Livable Future, Living Future Institute, Portland Sustainability Institute, and other environmentally minded organizations.
The Blazers were a founding member of the Green Sports Alliance and are an example of the economic feasibility of sustainability measures for major commercial buildings. The Rose Garden is the only LEED Gold-Certified sports facility in the country and boasts a number of additional environmental and sustainable measures.
Some highlights from the tour include:
- Waste stream management – The Rose Garden concourse and other public areas all have convenient, clearly-marked waste stations for event patrons to separate their recycling, compost, and landfill waste. Almost all of the Rose Garden’s concession vendors offer compostable cups, plates, and cutlery, too. Over 63% of the facility’s waste stream is now diverted to recycling or compost.
- Trash separation area – Besides the standard recycling and trash dumpsters, the Rose Garden has an area where employees separate out batteries, Styrofoam, wires, and other re-sellable items that they sell in bulk.
- Electric vehicle charging stations – The Rose Garden hosts the most charging stations of any private entity in Portland area—a dozen Blink brand Level II chargers.
- Living wall – This wall is on the main concourse of the arena and is a tribute to the various sustainability initiatives that the Blazers have embraced. The locker room – During our visit they were renovating the locker rooms, but it was still very cool to see where the players get ready. Here’s a picture of Amy Solomon, Program Officer at the Bullit Foundation, with her foot (and her own shoe) in LaMarcus Aldridge’s size 15 shoe!
After the tour, Justin and Martin Tull, the Executive Director of the GSA, gave our group a presentation with more specific information about the Rose Garden, as well as other GSA initiatives. The GSA is already working nationally and internationally on sustainability initiatives with a variety of sports facilities. It was really interesting to learn about how the arenas have to work with the different contracted companies to reach sustainability goals, and how by doing so they can make a broader impact. Additionally, Justin and Martin were interested to hear from the environmental community and consider ways that the Blazers and GSA can help the movement in Oregon.
The Blazers are going above and beyond on-location sustainability and are taking an active role in promoting progressive climate and energy policy. The team has made significant efforts to improve energy efficiency at the Rose Garden, reducing energy consumption by 14% since 2008, and partners with Pacific Power and NW Natural by purchasing 100% of its energy through the utilities’ renewable programs. The Blazers were also the first team to join the Businesses for Innovative Climate and Energy Policy (BICEP), a group of businesses that are working to advance “climate and energy policies to counter the far-reaching risks and challenges posed by global climate change”. For more information, read the press release on the BICEP website about the Blazers joining the coalition.
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03/30/17 | 0 Comments | Rose Garden Arena Sustainability Tour