Green Sports Alliance Experiences Continued Growth in Second Year
GREEN SPORTS ALLIANCE EXPERIENCES CONTINUED GROWTH IN SECOND YEARLeading sports greening nonprofit adds 40 new members and plans 3rd annual Summit to be hosted on the east coast
June 4, 2013 (Portland, OR) – The Green Sports Alliance, an unprecedented collaboration among professional and collegiate teams, venues and leagues dedicated to the greening of the sports industry, experienced strong continued growth in its second year since launching nationally. The Alliance added 40 new teams and venues as members as well as three new board members. With two successful Green Sports Alliance Summits under its belt, the Alliance proudly announced it was venturing out of the Pacific Northwest to host its third annual Summit in New York City.“The Green Sports Alliance has seen extraordinary membership and organizational growth over the past year,” said Scott Jenkins, Chairman of the Green Sports Alliance and Vice President of Ballpark Operations at the Seattle Mariners. “We’re proud to see the great strides made by many teams and venues to integrate sustainable practices into their operations and events. As a catalyst for the sports greening movement, we look forward to continuing to grow as an organization to provide valuable member resources and industry support.”The Alliance continues to attract interest from a wide range of sports organizations. With the past year’s growth, the Alliance’s membership now includes nearly two thirds of MLB, half of NHL, and one third of NFL teams and venues, in addition to dozens of other members from the NBA, NCAA and several minor leagues. Alliance members come from 15 different leagues in total. New members from the past year include Major League Soccer (MLS), Madison Square Garden, the Philadelphia Eagles, MetLife Stadium, The Ohio St. University, and the Minnesota Wild, among many others. Last year, 20 different Alliance members were featured in the NRDC Report Game Changer: How the Sports Industry is Saving the Environment. Additionally, many Alliance founders and members were recognized for their significant accomplishments in the NRDC Game Changers for Environmental Stewardship video.The Alliance has also expanded its Board of Directors in the past year, welcoming three new board members to bring the lineup to 14 thought leaders in sports and sustainability. Bringing a great depth of experience and success in the technical aspects of environmental initiatives at sports venues, as well as an industry-level viewpoint on emerging trends, the newest board members will enable the Alliance to expand both its expertise and its reach across the sports industry. The new Alliance board members are:
- Joe Abernathy, Vice President, Stadium Operations, St. Louis Cardinals
- Stephen Ashkin, Executive Director, Green Cleaning Network
- Jennifer Regan, Global Sustainability Director, AEG
See the full Green Sports Alliance Board of Directors at www.greensportsalliance.org/about/To showcase the growth of the organization and the environmental leadership of teams, venues and events across North America, the Alliance has brought its third annual Summit to the heart of the sports industry, New York City. The 2013 Green Sports Alliance Summit will be held Aug. 26-28, 2013 at the New York Marriott at the Brooklyn Bridge. The innovative and dynamic 2013 Summit Program of panels, workshops, roundtables and tours features opportunities for industry stakeholders to learn from over 80 leaders at the forefront of the sports greening movement, including representatives from over 40 professional and collegiate sports organizations. For the complete program and speaker list, visit www.greensportssummit.org.