Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium to Host Green Sports Alliance Summit June 26-27, 2018 & Philadelphia’s Lincoln Financial Field to Host 2019
Today, the Green Sports Alliance (Alliance) formally announced the 8th annual Green Sports Alliance Summit will be held in Atlanta at the new Mercedes-Benz Stadium June 26-27, 2018. The Alliance also announced the 9th annual Summit will be held in Philadelphia at Lincoln Financial Field in June 2019.The Summit brings together hundreds of leaders from professional sports teams, collegiate programs, venue management companies, and other pioneers in environmental stewardship to exchange the latest thinking around greening the sports industry and engaging fans.“As the first professional sports stadium in the U.S. to be awarded LEED Platinum certification, Mercedes-Benz Stadium has been at the forefront of innovation in sustainability efforts. We look forward to welcoming like-minded thought leaders in the industry to help further the sports sustainability movement,” said Scott Jenkins, General Manager, Mercedes-Benz Stadium and Board Chair of the Green Sports Alliance.Touting the most LEED points earned to date for a sports venue in the world, Mercedes-Benz Stadium will serve as an apropos location for the Summit. The stadium utilizes renewable energy, has a stormwater recapture and storage system, and boasts 82,500 square feet of efficient LED lighting. The stadium and home teams, the Falcons and United FC, are dedicated to their community and participate in food recovery and donation programs, partner with Trees Atlanta to share captured rainwater for tree irrigation, and participate in the Novelis Recycle for Good program collecting aluminum cans to fund Habitat for Humanity home builds.“We are honored and excited to host our 2018 Summit in the great city of Atlanta, at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The Falcons and United FC are leaders in environmental stewardship and it’s incredible to see members of the Green Sports Alliance take sustainability in the sports industry to new heights with their innovative environmental solutions and dedication to the well-being of their community. Arthur Blank’s commitment to ‘do the right thing’ for Atlanta is exemplified in this stadium and its operations,” said Justin Zeulner, Executive Director of the Green Sports Alliance.The theme for this year's Summit is "PLAY GREENER: Get in the Game" and will focus on taking action that encourages collaborative problem-solving to achieve sustainable change across the sports spectrum. Attendees will engage in multiple skill-building and problem-solving workshops to develop solutions that encourage environmental and social responsibility across operations, supply chains, and fan bases.In addition to engaging programming, keynote speakers, and networking opportunities, the Summit features a trade show highlighting industry-relevant products and services geared towards greening sports venue operations. NatureWorks, a long-time partner of the Alliance, will once again support the 2018 Summit as the presenting sponsor.“NatureWorks has supported the Green Sports Alliance Summit since its first inception in Portland, OR in 2010. Then and now, we view the Summit as a critical convergence of business and sports that enables solutions for reducing the environmental impact of sports operations while maintaining or reducing costs,” said Doug Kunnemann, Business Development Manager, Performance Packaging for NatureWorks. “Our strategic partnership with the Alliance is amplified via the Summit where everything from the formal programming to informal conversations accelerates the pace of innovation and execution within professional and collegiate sports. NatureWorks looks forward to contributing our expertise in plastics, food serviceware, and waste diversion to the sports greening community while providing solutions to sustainability challenges.”The 2018 Green Sports Alliance Summit will highlight best practices in sustainability from around the sports world, including how teams are driving environmental change through fan and community engagement. Sessions and speakers will be announced in the coming months. To take advantage of early bird registration discounts for the 2018 Summit, please visit bit.ly/2BIQZ5E to register on Eventbrite and summit.greensportsalliance.org to learn more.In addition to the 2018 Summit, the Alliance is pleased to begin plans for Philadelphia in 2019. The event will be hosted in June of 2019 at Lincoln Financial Field, home of the Philadelphia Eagles. Details will follow when the 2018 Summit concludes.