Monday, July 18, 2011

TBIRDS & SHOWARE CENTER JOIN GREEN SPORTS ALLIANCE

Press Release

Kent, WA - The Seattle Thunderbirds and ShoWare Center today became Premier Members of the Green Sports Alliance.

The Green Sports Alliance (GSA) is a non-profit organization with a mission to reduce the environmental impact of sports teams and to inspire fans to join in these efforts. GSA is working with sports teams, sponsors and other stakeholders to identify the necessary tools to make informed sustainable choices that benefit their fans, their venues, their bottom lines and the environment.

The T-Birds and ShoWare Center will collaborate with other venue operators, sports marketing directors and environmental scientists to exchange their real world experiences and create metrics that are meaningful and measurable. The information gathered from this collaboration will be available to members and partners not only to gain a better understanding of the impact sporting events have on the environment, but also to provide inspiration and a roadmap for teams and venues to make changes to reduce that impact.

"The Western Hockey League commends the Seattle Thunderbirds and their home venue ShoWare Center for the key leadership role they are playing with this new environmental initiative. Their participation in the Green Sports Alliance will now provide a new standard by which facilities within the WHL will aspire to in the future," said WHL Commissioner Ron Robison.

"The Seattle Thunderbirds are proud to be a Premier Member of the Green Sports Alliance. Our home, the ShoWare Center is the first sports and entertainment facility in North America to be designed and constructed to LEED Gold Certification Standards. We are mindful of the importance of improving the sports industry impact on the environments and communities it serves. We look forward to being a part of the GSA and helping the world and local communities with green initiatives," said Thunderbirds President and General Manager Russ Farwell.

The T-Birds and ShoWare Center are two of 31 teams or venues that were announced as members of the GSA today. Those other members include: Minnesota Twins, Target Field; San Diego Padres, PETCO Park; Detroit Lions, Ford Field; St. Louis Cardinals, Busch Stadium; Cleveland Cavaliers, Cleveland Clinic Courts and Lake Erie Monsters, Quicken Loans Arena; Florida Marlins; Kansas City Chiefs, Kauffman Stadium; Arizona State University; University of Washington; Tampa Bay Lightning, St. Pete Times Forum; Cleveland Indians, Progressive Field; Tampa Bay Rays, Tropicana Field; Philadelphia Flyers, Wells Fargo Center; Boston Red Sox, Fenway Park; Washington Stealth, Everett Silvertips, Comcast Arena.

"Since the national launch of the Green Sports Alliance this March, we have seen significant interest from teams and venues across North America. Working with these new members will allow us to help each other improve our environmental performance and create positive change in our communities," said Martin Tull, Executive Director of the Alliance, earlier today in a press release from the GSA.

The founding members of the Green Sports Alliance are the Seattle Mariners, Seattle Seahawks, Seattle Sounders FC, Seattle Storm, Portland Trail Blazers, Vancouver Canucks, Safeco Field, Century Link Field and Event Center, KeyArena at Seattle Center, the Rose Garden and Rogers Arena.

The ShoWare Center is the first sports and entertainment facility in North America to be designed and constructed to LEED GOLD Certification standards. LEED is a third-party certification system designed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). It is awarded to high performance buildings that have less of an impact on the environment, are healthier for those who work in or visit the building and are more profitable than their conventional counterparts.

(Nathan can be reached at fourniern@students.nescom.edu)

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