NBA Green Week





If you know me, you know that I am a die hard basketball fanatic. Therefore, I was excited to learn that the NBA promoted a Green Week! The NBA teamed up with the Natural Resources Defense Council to promote environmental initiatives. Teams from all across the organization invested time in "going green" and to promote green living. All 30 NBA teams wore adidas Revolution 30 uniforms which were made from 60 percent recycled materials. Several teams also encouraged fans with incentives to take public transportation to and from the games. Also, three NBA teams installed solar panels on their arenas, garages, or practice facilities.The NBA continues to take steps in becoming more environmentally conscious and spreading the awareness to the community. My two favorite things coming together? Sounds like a match made in environmental heaven!

“The NBA’s commitment to reduce its ecological impact and to help educate basketball fans worldwide about the importance of environmental protection confirms why this league is regarded as one of the world’s most responsible sports organizations,” said NRDC Senior Scientist Allen Hershkowitz, who coordinated the organization’s development of this work. “Besides the tangible public health benefits that this initiative will advance, having the NBA embrace ecological criteria in its operations represents a watershed in our nation’s movement toward environmental progress.”




Here are what some of the NBA teams are doing to "go green";
  • Chicago Bulls encouraged fans to join the United Center's recycling program to support the Ronald McDonald House.

  • Cleveland Cavaliers teamed up with Soles4Soles to collect and recycle old shoes.

  • Dallas Mavericks hosted their 4th Annual Dallas Mavericks E-Cycling Drive where the team encouraged fans to recycle their old or unwanted electronics for free.

  • Golden State Warriors
    • hosted their Green Mob BART Giveaway to promote eco-friendly transportation options in the Bay Area and to encourage their fans to take eco-friendly public transportation.
    • The practice facility has more than 500 solar panels on its roof.


  • New Orleans Hornets staff spent a day planting trees at the Wetlands Project.



  • Phoenix Suns teamed up on a solar-energy project which switched on 966 solar panels on the roof of US Airways Center parking garage.



  • Portland Trail Blazers unveiled 10 electric vehicle charging stations making it the region's largest publicly available electric vehicle charging site.



  • and the winner is..
  • New Jersey Nets!!
    • Hosted several in-arena Green Nights.
    • Became the first NBA team to go carbon neutral. They are the only major pro sports team to earn the industry’s most rigorous CarbonNeutral® Accreditation. The Nets are purchasing guaranteed and verified carbon credits which supports renewable energy projects around the world.
    • Also plans to lower their carbon footprint by focusing on improving energy efficiency, recycling rates, water efficiency, indoor environmental quality and establishing green policies for the materials the Nets use on a regular basis.



Also, five NBA team arenas have received Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification by the U.S. Green Building Council including;
  • Philips Arena (Atlanta Hawks)

  • AmericanAirlines Arena (Miami Heat)

  • Rose Garden Arena (Portland Trail Blazers)
    • Received Gold certification.

  • Toyota Center (Houston Rockets)
    • Eeceived Silver certification.

  • Amway Center (Orlando Magic)
    • Received Gold certification.

    • The first NBA facility to earn LEED new construction certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.
Also, the Staples Center where the Lakers and the Clippers play have installed 1,727 solar panels which cover half of the total roof area.

The Green Sports Alliance is a non-profit organization with a mission to reduce the environmental impact of professional sports and to inspire fans to join in these efforts. The founding members of the Alliance include the Cleveland Cavaliers, Philadelphia 76ers, Portland Trail Blazers, Seattle Storm(WNBA), Toronto Raptors and the NBA league office.

1 comment:

  1. I saw this while watching a game a couple weeks ago. It is awesome that the NBA goes green. Great post. Who is the guy pushing the wheel barrel?

    ReplyDelete