The National Basketball Association and Sprint last Thursday launched a weeklong green initiative featuring community sustainability projects, recycling programs, green giveaways, special on-court apparel and auctions to encourage fans to “go green.”
The National Basketball Association and Sprint last Thursday launched a weeklong green initiative featuring community sustainability projects, recycling programs, green giveaways, special on-court apparel and auctions to encourage fans to “go green.”
The so-called NBA Green Week is an extension of NBA Green, a yearlong program the organization uses to identify and implement eco-friendly practices throughout its business areas.
To mark this year’s Green Week, the NBA says it will begin using Mosaic, an online tool that allows NBA teams and venues to track, analyze and identify cost-saving opportunities within their environmental footprint. The league also will work with renewable energy supplier Sterling Planet to offset the total electricity used during all 67 NBA games taking place during the week, which amounts to more than 10 million pounds of carbon dioxide.
“NBA Green Week stands alone among all professional sports greening initiatives,” said Allen Hershkowitz, Senior Scientist at the Natural Resource Defense Council, another NBA Green Week partner. “With the launch of a comprehensive environmental data gathering system, the NBA takes their commitment one more giant step forward by improving the way every team’s arena is managed from now on.”
Throughout the week, the NBA says Adidas will outfit all players with 100 percent organic cotton shooting shirts. Players also will wear NBA Green-branded headbands and wristbands made from 45 percent organic cotton. To support environmental protection, teams across the league will host in-arena nights along with a variety of community events and activities.
The NBA and Sprint have also initiated the “Pledge to Recycle” contest, which offers fans a chance to win a trip to the 2013 NBA Finals to those that pledge to recycle old mobile devices. Sprint is coordinating phone buyback programs in Los Angeles, Boston and Orlando that allow fans to recycle certain phone models from multiple carriers to receive up to a $300 Sprint service credit. The phone carrier has initiated similar buyback programs for NASCAR.
The NBA is a member of the Green Sports Alliance, a non-profit focused on reducing the environmental impact of professional sports and build fan eco-awareness. To date, five NBA team arenas have received LEED certification by the U.S. Green Building Council and another five have installed solar panels on their arenas, garages or practice facilities.
The NBA on Fridayalso announced its partnership with EKOCYCLE and adidas, and a new product offering — a limited-edition adidas for EKOCYCLE Feel Good® Tee —
NBA Green Week began on April 4 and will run through April 12.
Published Apr 8, 2013 3am EDT / 12am PDT / 8am BST / 9am CEST
Managing Director, Sustainability & Social Impact
Deutsche Bank
Mike Hower is a sustainability communicator and connector committed to helping purpose-driven businesses and people unlock their full potential for positive impact. As founder and principal consultant at Hower Impact, he works with companies to translate sustainability strategy into stories that inform, engage and inspire investors, customers, employees, regulators and other stakeholders in the service of social, environmental and business goals. Through his Impact Hired initiative, he works to connect and engage corporate sustainability professionals at all stages of their careers.
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