The Sacramento Kings and Golden 1 Center, in Sacramento, California, received the award for Project of the Year from Green Project Management (GPM), which is given to an organization that GPM says demonstrates the impact and relevance of sustainability and project success from both a process and objective perspective.
“We are humbled to receive this international honor,” Vivek Ranadivé, Kings owner and chairman, says. “We believe businesses have a responsibility to serve as agents of change and we are proud that Golden 1 Center has been recognized as a model of sustainability."
GPM created the Sustainability Awards to highlight the successes of individuals and organizations from around the world through the implementation of sustainable practices. Earlier this year, Golden 1 Center and the Sacramento Kings earned international recognition as Sport for Climate Action by Beyond Sport, an organization based in London that promotes the use of sports to address social issues. During the seventh annual Green Sports Alliance summit at Golden 1 Center, Ranadivé presented his vision for sports teams to leverage technology to identify new solutions to fight climate change, calling for the sports industry and community to continue to set higher standards for action and environmental awareness around the world.
Golden 1 Center is 100 percent solar powered and achieved the Washington-based U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED Platinum certification. An unmatched food program sources 90 percent of the venues ingredients within 150 miles of the arena. To close the food cycle, Golden 1 Center has partnered with a local food bank to distribute unserved food items through the community, and with a local organics program that develops fertilizers for the farms that serve the arena.
Golden 1 Center earned the Sports Business Journal’s Facility of the Year award for these efforts.
Other key sustainability efforts for Golden 1 Center include:
- 99 percent of demolition materials, nearly 101,000 tons, recycled and diverted from landfills;
- reducing travel-related greenhouse gas emissions per attendee by 36 percent by 2020;
- a 30 percent reduction in energy use above California Title 24 code requirement;
- a 45 percent reduction in use over California code;
- more than 28,650 pounds of usable food diverted to local food banks;
- fan donated shoes recycled into the team’s court; and
- Partnerships with the National Resources Defense Council (NRDC), New York City, and the Green Sports Alliance (GSA), Portland, Oregon.
