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September 4, 2013 | Volume 12, Issue 6
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TRAIL BLAZERS PROVE PROFITABILITY FROM SUSTAINABILITY
The Portland Trail Blazers show that there are profits to be gained by going green
By: Lucas Dillow
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Click the image above to check out the Portland Trail Blazers!
Dear Faithful Readers,
I hope you all enjoyed your extended weekend!
We all know that sometimes you have to spend money to make money. In the case of the Portland Trail Blazers, they found that sentiment to be entirely true when they revolutionized the Moda Center - formerly the Rose Garden - to be the most sustainable venue in sports. (In fact, our President Ron Seaver spent part of his Labor Day weekend up in the Pacific Northwest admiring the facilities.)
The Trial Blazers have seen an outstanding 467% return on their sustainability programs over the course of the last five years… keep reading to find out how they did it.
Enjoy the feature,
Erin
[email protected]
P.S. - Want more revenue generating ideas? Follow @NatlSportsForum on Twitter to get more helpful insights on #sportsbiz, #sponsorship and more!
PROGRAM TITLE
Portland Trail Blazers: Sustainability
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OBJECTIVES
It's a beautiful thing watching a team attack not only a critically important environmental issue ... but then bring in a corporate sponsor to help underwrite their program as well. For all of us in the sports world, creating a better environment is not only our important civic responsibility -- but, frankly, it's also a very sell-able "hot button" with progressive, educated companies throughout the country as well.
The business climate is moving towards more sustainable practices and we are seeing the shift all across the world: eco-friendly water bottles, reduced carbon footprints, the Nissan Leaf etc. The sports world cannot be the exception to this growing trend and teams are already beginning to adapt; beginning with the Portland Trail Blazers who are taking a stand on sustainability and paving the way for other teams to follow.
One of the problems with "going green” is that companies and teams think that it won't generate money. The cost-benefit analysis can be lopsided cost heavy to clean up an organization and can cause unwanted commotion and turnover. However, there are many success stories out there, and the Trail Blazers are one of them. They have learned what practices work and don’t work, and implemented all the right programs to prove their point; sustainability is not only better for the environment, it is better for your bottomline. Seeing a return was not the main intention of this program for the Blazers, but it turned out to be a welcomed side effect!
PROGRAM DESCRIPTION
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The Northwest - and Oregon in particular - has always been a place for sustainable innovation. Residents are especially passionate about living a clean lifestyle to ensure their environment remains unaltered. It comes as no surprise that one of the first professional teams to add sustainable processes to their facility comes out of Portland. Back in 2008, the Trail Blazers decided to make a change in their community and set an example for the sports industry on the benefits of "going green". They have implemented more sustainable campaigns than any other team and are changing the way life is run at their arena. Let’s go through some of their practices that have cut their bottom line costs.
To start things off, the Trail Blazers have earned a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) “Gold” Certification, dubbing them as the first professional sports team in the world to attain this recognition. Already standing alone at the top of the charts, they are working to achieve “Platinum” certification in the next few years. Since 2008, they have diverted 90% of their waste from landfills, cut energy/water/gas by over 30% and switched to 100% usage of compostable and local/organic food related materials. They save over 2.5 million kilowatt hours per year and all of their energy consumption is 100% renewable. The Trail Blazers have a very diverse range of sustainability practices, dipping their hand into virtually every possibility.
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One of the most important initiatives the Blazers helped pioneer and one of their greatest achievements is the Green Sports Alliance. Since February of 2010, the Alliance has brought together venue operators, sports team executives and environmental scientists to exchange information about better practices and develop solutions to environmental challenges that are cost-competitive and innovative. The information gathered from this collaboration is available to Alliance members in order to gain a better understanding of how sporting events can be performed in an environmentally sensitive manner. As one of the co-founders, the Trail Blazers are extremely proud to be part of such an innovative initiative for the sports industry.
Click above to visit the Trail Blazers sustainability website!
PARTNERSHIP
As mentioned earlier, the Trail Blazers teamed up with their co-founded group the Green Sports Alliance, but there are others involved as well. They signed on with BICEP (Business for Innovative Climate and Energy Policy) as another major partner, along with smaller partnerships like local transit to encourage both employees and fans to take public transportation to the Moda Center. The Trail Blazers and their main partners are leaders in the global fight for sustainability and will be for years to come.
RESULTS
Earlier in the article touched on the Trail Blazers results in terms of energy and landfill statistics, but all of this boils down to a very attractive number. Since 2008, the Blazers have invested $643,000 into their sustainability practices; not a small amount. However, they've seen an astonishing 467% growth on that investment. The Blazers have returned $3,000,000 in operational savings on their initial expenditures! That is a ROI every team can get on board with, and doesn’t include new business development/partnerships that have materialized since implementing this corporate strategy.
The Trail Blazers have proved the sustainability model can work for other teams, and that saving money is making money.
LOOKING AHEAD
The Blazers have already set goals for the future, with their eyes on a “Platinum” certification from LEED in the next few years. The opportunity to be THE leader in sports sustainability is a great one, and possibilities to keep the industry progressing are endless. Along with that, the growth of the Green Sports Alliance has been huge and they are only in their third year. The third annual Green Sports Alliance Summit was just held in New York City last month and the Trail Blazers will be hosting the 5th annual Green Game against the Mavericks in the 2013-2014 season.
CONTACT
For more Information, contact:
Justin Zeulner, Senior Director of Sustainability and Public Affairs, Portland Trail Blazers [email protected]
Michael Lewellen, Senior Vice President of Communications & Public Engagement, Portland Trail Blazers
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