The Portland Trail Blazers are the first major sports team to earn LEED Gold status for a major league sports facility, a milestone in the greening of sports.  This certification, awarded to the Rose Garden by the U.S. Green Building Council under its Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program (LEED EB-O&M v.3 2009), identifies and rewards best practices for a building’s energy, water and natural resource performance. "This announcement is a result of local expertise and innovation helping Portland foster a stronger, more sustainable economy,” said Larry Miller, president of the Portland Trail Blazers. “We don’t view this as a one-time achievement, but rather an important step toward our long-term goals."

The public address announcement of the LEED Gold certification was met with enthusiastic applause by a sold-out crowd of more than 20,000 gathered for the Monday night basketball game. The fans have contributed to the team’s sustainability efforts by supporting alternative transportation and recycling stations throughout the venue. "Our Portland fan base cares deeply about their impact on our natural heritage," Miller said. "Oregon is one of the most beautiful, livable places on the planet, and commitment to being good environmental stewards is part of what defines our region. This is a team effort, involving all of us working together."  

A partial list of the Trail Blazers’ sustainability initiatives include:  

Recycling. The Trail Blazers have taken steps to ensure that more than 60 percent of their waste is diverted from local landfills via strategies such as post-game sorting. Extensive recycling stations for visitors and a food-waste composting program with vendors help divert more than 800 tons annually.  

Transportation. Located in Portland’s urban core, the Rose Quarter provides strong transportation choices for visitors with more than 30 percent of attendees choosing public or alternative transportation such as bikes. The team subsidizes transit passes for staff and utilizes bikes and electric vehicles for on-site operations.

Energy, gas and water. In addition to installing energy-efficient lighting and low-flow plumbing fixtures, the Trail Blazers partner with Pacific Power and NW Natural for the purchase of 100 percent renewable energy programs for the Rose Garden.  

Purchasing. The team’s efforts include forging partnerships with suppliers to further develop sustainable purchasing, including more than 95 percent compostable food and beverage serving containers and materials, 100 percent recycled content trash liners, and replacing disposables with reusable commodities.   

Health. The Trail Blazers are committed to utilizing environmentally friendly cleaning products and equipment, and in keeping with Portland’s status as the slow food capital of the U.S., they offer their guests a line of locally made food and beverage alternatives.

The Natural Resource Defense Council (NRDC), a leader in the movement for the greening of sports, praised the LEED certification as a milestone. "Never before has any major league sports arena or stadium achieved LEED Gold status,” said Allen Hershkowitz, senior scientist and director of NRDC’s Sports Greening Initiative. “It represents an accomplishment with likely consequences well beyond professional basketball."   

Local partners in the effort to achieve certification included Green Building Services Inc., which performed a carbon footprint and sustainability analysis, and Energy Trust of Oregon, which helped enable key energy audits and secure funding for building retrofitting.

“This designation is another important step for the NBA to demonstrate how we can all play a role in lessening the environmental impact of our operations, arenas and events,” said Kathy Behrens, NBA executive vice president, social responsibility and player programs.

The Trail Blazers, in conjunction with NBA Green Week, will host their annual Green Game against the Dallas Mavericks on April 9.

Sidebar: Water and Energy Savings at a Glance

Energy-Efficiency Projects:

Cooling Tower VFD and Sequencing Improvements
A. Electrical Savings – 255,000 kWh
B. Payback – Less than three years

Lighting Retrofit – Event Level of Rose Garden
A. Replaced 175w and 250w Metal Halide with high output T8 and T5 fluorescent fixtures with fixture mounted lighting controls
B. Electrical Savings – 416,000 kWh
C. Payback – Less than one year

Water-Efficiency Projects:

Club Level of the Rose Garden – Renovation Project (included upgrades to bathroom fixtures for low-flow)
A. 60 fixtures
B. Replaced with 37.5 percent more efficient flush valves
C. Water Savings – 162,000 gallons