Sacramento, Calif. – Today, the Green Sports Alliance announced the Sacramento Kings have been selected as one of their 12 Environmental Innovators of the Year, celebrating their groundbreaking work and accomplishments in sustainability at Golden 1 Center. The diverse set of teams, companies, and initiatives have been selected as this year’s leaders who demonstrate excellence & innovation in environmental and social stewardship.
Golden 1 Center, the world’s most sustainable and technologically advanced arena, will serve as an educational resource when over 700 representatives from professional and collegiate sports teams, venues, industry stakeholders and sustainability thought-leaders visit Sacramento for the 7th annual Green Sports Alliance Summit in Sacramento. Kings Owner and Chairman Vivek Ranadivé will provide a keynote address on the event’s opening night.
“We’re proud Golden 1 Center has become a model of sustainability for sports teams, fans and businesses around the world,” said Kings Chairman and Owner Vivek Ranadivé. “Our goal has always been to use our basketball team as a platform for good, drive meaningful change, demonstrate that awareness and innovation go hand in hand, and set an example to be thoughtful and intelligent about how we use our resources.”
Golden 1 Center is the world’s first arena to be 100% solar powered and achieve the US Green Building Council’s LEED Platinum status. An unmatched food program sources 90% of the venues ingredients within 150 miles of the venue, focusing on high-quality and providing healthy selection all while reducing the team’s carbon footprint by eliminating vehicle miles traveled. To close the food cycle, Golden 1 Center has partnered with local food back to distribute unserved food items to the community, and with a local, innovative organics program that develops fertilizers for the farms that serve the arena.
“The Sacramento Kings leadership over the last five years to bring the ecologically innovative, 100% renewable powered Golden 1 Center to fruition are nothing short of amazing,“ said Justin Zeulner, executive director of the Green Sports Alliance. “Including the community in the process, implementing the latest advances in environmentally friendly technology, both inside and outside of the building, and advancing a ground breaking, multi-point, food sourcing, recovery, and reuse program all combine to make this iconic venue one of the most ecologically advanced buildings of its kind in the world. We are proud to count them as a member in the Green Sports Alliance.”
Combined with the venue’s region impact, sustainability achievements and stunning design, Golden 1 Center recently was awarded the Sports Business Journal’s Facility of the Year award.
Visit Golden1Center.com for more information about the venue’s commitment to sustainability.
