Farm-to-Court' Food at the NBA's Greenest Arena

Sustainable AmericaBy Amy LeibrockThe Sacramento Kings’ new Golden 1 Center, which Paul McCartney christened last week with a two-night run, has just set the bar very high for sustainability in sports.The arena just earned the U.S. Green Building Council’s highest certification, LEED Platinum, a first for an indoor arena. The 17,500-seat venue is powered completely by solar energy and features smart temperature controls that harness the area’s cooling delta breeze. It was constructed with regionally sourced materials and almost all of the materials from demolishing the site’s previous buildings were recycled.Perhaps the most buzzed-about sustainability feature of the new arena is its so-called “farm-to-court” commitment to sourcing 90 percent of its food from within 150 miles. Michael Tuohy, executive chef for Legends Hospitality, the food service provider at the Golden1 Center, is working with area farms to procure local ingredients for everything from standard sports venue eats to the more elevated offerings fans have come to expect recently. In other words, yes you can still get nachos, but the cheese is from a local creamery.Read the full post here.