The Philadelphia Eagles have been pioneers in the greening of professional sports operations and supply chains since establishing their Go Green program, with the help of the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), back in 2003. From switching to recycled paper products nearly a decade ago to installing the most extensive onsite renewable system of any U.S. sports stadium in 2012, the Eagles work to promote the social, ecological and financial benefits of going green.
Thanks to the widespread public and professional interest in sustainability in the Northwest, environmental stewardship was built into CenturyLink Field even before the first U.S. sports greening programs were established. Back in 2000, 35 percent of the concrete from the Kingdome was recycled onsite to construct Seahawks Stadium (which has since been renamed “CenturyLink Field”).
The St. Louis Cardinals are one of the most award- winning teams in baseball. Since they joined the National League in 1892, the Cardinals have won 11 World Series Championships, 18 National League Pennants, 8 National League Central Division Titles, 3 National League Eastern Division Titles, and more than 9,300 games. The Cardinals have also been earning accolades for their green efforts, including the St. Louis Green Business Challenge Award of Achievement, the Missouri Waste Coalition Environmental Stewardship Award, and the Downtown St. Louis Community Improvement Sustainability Award.
The Bell Centre is the only professional sports venue in North America to be awarded three independent environmental certifications: LEED Silver for Existing Buildings (EBOM), ISO 14001, and Quebec’s ICI ON RECYCLE Level Three (the highest level). On October 13, 2009, the Canadiens became the first NHL team with a LEED-certified home arena and the first to achieve the LEED Silver level. A month later the Canadiens were also awarded the International Organization for Standardization’s 14001 certification for implementing an environmental management system (EMS). Three years later, the Canadiens are still expanding their green work, including planned renewal of their LEED EBOM certification in 2014.
One of the busiest arenas in the world, Air Canada Centre holds an average of 180 ticketed events with 2.75 million attendees coming through the building each year. Beginning in 2008, Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment (MLSE), owners of the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Toronto Raptors, and Air Canada Centre, launched “Team Up Green,” a five-year plan that set environmental goals for the arena. The sustainability plan specifically set goals to reduce energy use by 30 percent, reduce the arena’s carbon footprint by 30 percent, and divert 95 percent of waste from landfills by 2013—and they are close to meeting these goals.
The Champ Camp, Jordan’s first Olympic Weightlifting school, aims to build inclusion and empower youth in the Palestinian Refugee Camp, Al-Baqa’. It provides an escape for the youth in that region to stay away from drugs, violence, and other consequences of poverty.
The main goal of the Sport for Sustainable Development project is to create a platform for the transfer of knowledge in the field of sustainable development through sport between three continents (Europe, Asia and Africa).
Video from IOC Young Leader Ana (Moldova) about the Women's Karatedo Festival - a social and sport event for girls and women organized by the National Karatedo Federation of the Republic of Moldova (W.K.F.) on the occasion of the International Women's Day.
