Sustainability Fuels Pacers Sports & Entertainment, RecycleForce Partnership
KEY POINTS
- PS&E, RecycleForce partnership will keep 76,000 pounds of hard-to-recycle plastic out of Indiana landfills
- Partnership represents PS&E’s ongoing commitment to environmental stewardship
- RecycleForce helps reintegrate formerly incarcerated individuals while championing sustainability across central Indiana
INDIANAPOLIS - A commitment to sustainability is in the Pacers Sports & Entertainment DNA, a value that starts with Steve Simon and permeates throughout the organization as it continues to look for opportunities to reduce waste and go green. That is why PS&E and RecycleForce today announced a partnership that will keep more than 76,000 pounds of plastic and steel out of Indiana landfills when Bankers Life Fieldhouse seats are removed and replaced as part of the Fieldhouse of the Future renovation project.
“Just as the Fieldhouse of the Future will give new generations of fans world-class experiences for years to come, the project also presents us with an opportunity to creatively reduce waste and double-down on our commitment to care for our environment,” said Rick Fuson, Pacers Sports & Entertainment President and Chief Operating Officer. “RecycleForce plays such an important role in our community, both in championing sustainability and reducing recidivism, and we are proud to work alongside them to keep tens of thousands of pounds of materials out of Indiana’s landfills.”
Immediately, 3,742 seats in the Fieldhouse’s Krieg DeVault Level will be converted into raw materials for manufacturing, with as much as 33,000 pounds turned to plastic and another 42,800 pounds converted to steel. The steel will be shredded and sent to an Indiana steel smelter to be made back into rebar or sheet steel, while the plastic will be converted into 3,044 gallons of ultra-low sulfur diesel fuel and naphtha blend stocks and 1,015 gallons of wax.
Moreover, as Fieldhouse of the Future renovations continue, an additional 8,700 seats from the Balcony Level will also be repurposed by RecycleForce for even greater waste reduction and sustainability.
"We appreciate PS&E for their commitment to our environment and their collaboration with RecycleForce on this incredible effort,” said Gregg Keesling, RecycleForce President. “Nearly all of our returning citizens grew up as lifelong Pacers fans and watched the games during their period of incarceration, which makes this partnership even more special.”
The effort is the latest sustainability initiative PS&E has undertaken with strong community partners, a continual focus for the company. Other work includes converting non-recyclable waste to energy, numerous recycling initiatives, and staging zero-waste events.
RecycleForce has for more than a decade been a leader in sustainability throughout central Indiana. The organization uses environmental stewardship as a means through which to help formerly incarcerated Hoosiers reintegrate into their communities through education and workforce training.
For more information on the Fieldhouse of the Future project, please visit https://www.bankerslifefieldhouse.com/fieldhouse-of-the-future.
For more information on RecycleForce’s efforts, please visit https://recycleforce.org/.
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About Pacers Sports & Entertainment
Pacers Sports & Entertainment is an integrated sports and entertainment company including the Indiana Pacers, Indiana Fever, Fort Wayne Mad Ants, Pacers Gaming, Pacers Foundation, Inc., and operations of Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Its team of inspired and dedicated employees has a shared purpose of winning through a commitment to excellence, serving the local community and entertaining fans and guests.
About RecycleForce
RecycleForce was founded in 2006 with a dual mission: To protect our environment through safe and responsible electronics recycling while providing a structured program for formerly incarcerated citizens who are incorporating themselves back into society via a combination of education, training, and counseling. Our goal is to break the endless cycle of offenders returning to prison and instead make them productive members of our community right here in Indianapolis.