Sacramento, CA – Today, the Sacramento Kings issued the following statement after Beyond Sport, a global organization that promotes, supports and celebrates the use of sport to address social issues in communities around the world, recognized the team’s industry-leading efforts to combat climate change and promote sustainability. The Kings received the prestigious the “Sport for Climate Action” Award for their efforts at Golden 1 Center and in the Sacramento community.
”When we built Golden 1 Center, the Sacramento community and our fans made it very clear that they wanted the arena to be a model of sustainability. Today’s international recognition from Beyond Sport is a testament to that vision and I’m humbled to accept this honor on behalf of my partners and management team,” said Kings Owner and Chairman Vivek Ranadivé. “Sports teams, their fans and their partners have a unique opportunity to drive action and education on combatting climate change. We hope new arenas see our example and exceed what we’ve achieved.”
Beyond Sport represents the global force for sustainable social change through sport, instilling insight, energy and impact in communities around the world. Recently, Kings Owner and Chairman Vivek Ranadivé presented a vision for sports teams to leverage technology to identify new, innovative solutions to fight climate change in a keynote address to the seventh annual Green Sports Alliance summit at Golden 1 Center. Ranadivé called for the sports industry and community to continue to set higher standards for action and environmental awareness around the world.
Golden 1 Center is the world’s first indoor 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 arena, 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 a local food bank to distribute unserved food items through the community, and with a local, innovative organics program that develops fertilizers for the farms that serve the arena.
For these achievements and more, Golden 1 Center earned the sports industry’s top honor, Sports Business Journal “Facility of the Year” award.
Other key sustainability accomplishments and programs for Golden 1 Center include:
- Reducing travel-related greenhouse gas emissions per attendee by 36 percent by 2020, as reported in a thirteen-month environmental impact analysis.
- The first year-round, net-zero indoor arena
- A 30 percent reduction in energy use above California Title 24 code requirement
- A 45 percent reduction in use over stringent California code
- Over 12,000 pounds of usable food diverted to local food banks
- Fan donated shoes recycled into the team’s court
- 99% of demolition materials, nearly 101,000 tons, recycled and diverted from landfills
- Partnerships with the National Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and the Green Sports Alliance (GSA)
For more information about the Sacramento Kings commitment to sustainability, read Vivek Ranadivé’s Sports Business Journal op-ed – “It’s Overtime For Climate Change And Everyone Needs To Score.”
