By UMass Lowell River Hawks

The UMass Lowell athletic department and the Office of Sustainability announced a joint partnership with the Green Sports Alliance on Thursday morning. The announcement was made in conjunction with the implementation of many green initiatives throughout the athletic department and its facilities over the past several years.

The partnership is piece of the university’s 2050 Climate Action Plan, which was announced in January 2012.

The GSA was conceived and founded by Paul G. Allen’s Vulcan Inc. and the Natural Resources Defense Council and was launched in 2011. It is an environmentally-focused trade organization that convenes stakeholders from around the sporting world to promote healthy, sustainable communities. Members include nearly 600 organizations, spanning professional sports leagues, sports governing bodies, colleges, teams, venues and fans representing 15 leagues in 14 countries.

“The opportunity to partner with Green Sports Alliance provides UMass Lowell Athletics with a great network that will allow us to enhance our sustainability efforts on regional and national levels,” said UMass Lowell Director of Athletics Peter Casey. “River Hawk Nation understands its duty of protecting the environment and stepping up our green game.  With the help of our university partners, one of our goals is to educate and motivate our sports fans in taking their own actions in helping protect the environment.”

The GSA is committed to creating awareness and dedicated to creating meaningful change towards a more sustainable future. It shares resources, experience, and expertise to raise awareness of what’s environmentally possible in sports, business, and society while mobilizing sports organizations, communities, athletes, and fans to create sustainable progress and behavior change.

“The Green Sports Alliance is honored to have UMass Lowell’s exemplary leadership join our members and partners spanning across the sports greening movement,” said Roger McClendon, the Executive Director of the Green Sports Alliance. “The university has demonstrated its continued commitment towards improving our communities in a sustainable manner, and we are looking forward to working alongside the River Hawks through this relationship.”

As part of the campus partnership with Aramark, the university and Spectra installed the first Grind2Energy system on a college campus in the Northeast at the Tsongas Center in the fall of 2018. Grind2Energy is a clean and reliable solution for commercial food waste. With G2E, food waste recovery is built right into daily operations and kitchen infrastructure. G2E ensures that the campus’ uneaten food will be used to make renewable energy and replenish agricultural soils. For years, UMass Lowell has done the right thing, separating its food waste in carts and sending it to composters, but Grind2Energy has eliminated these logistical challenges while also delivering a great sustainability story.

UMass Lowell will host Sustainability Night at the hockey game against Colgate University on Homecoming Weekend on Friday, Oct. 18^th at the Tsongas Center. Their will 25 resource ambassadors on hand to make sure cups and bottles are being appropriately collected and recycled throughout the contest.

The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) is collaborating with the University through the Massachusetts Electric Vehicle Incentive Program (MassEVIP). The River Hawks will have use of an electric car throughout the year to bring student-athletes to medical appointments and use for travel to university related conferences/meetings.

The department also received a grant recently for two electric vehicle charging station in Lot B in the Tsongas Center parking lot.

The Tsongas Center also recently installed high efficiency LED lighting for the playing surface and concourse areas. For the last several years, athletics added updated branded trash and recycling units. These units are made from recycled milk jugs and with 100% renewable power.

“This exciting partnership is another step forward for UMass Lowell’s sustainability program,” stated UMass Lowell Director of Sustainability Ruairi O’Mahony. “The athletic department has already completed so many positive steps including solar panels atop Costello gym, fan tailored recycling programs, and the first Grind2Energy food waste program in the northeast. The partnership builds upon Chancellor Moloney’s vision for sustainability excellence through strategic partnerships and is sure to enhance our current position as the number one ranked AASHE STARS school for sustainability in Massachusetts.”

The River Hawks are the 10^th NCAA Div. I school to partner with the GSA and are the first athletic program in America East and in the Northeast region to formalize a partnership with the GSA.

The Green Sports Alliance leverages the cultural and market influence of sports to promote healthy, sustainable communities where people live and play. The Alliance inspires professional sports leagues, sports governing bodies, colleges, teams, venues, their partners and millions of fans to embrace renewable energy, healthy food, recycling, water efficiency, safer chemicals and other environmentally preferable practices. Alliance members now number over nearly 400 organizations and fans representing 17 leagues in 16 countries. Visit greensportsalliance.org for more information.

WHAT THEY ARE SAYING ABOUT THE PARTNERSHIP
“Aramark has always been an engaged partner with UMass Lowell’s sustainability efforts.  Whether through local sourcing, waste reduction, composting or improving operational efficiencies, our team has worked hand in hand with UMass Lowell to create a greener campus.  We look forward to how the Green Sports Alliance partnership will further our environmental strides on campus.  GSA already has strong relationships with Aramark at many major-league sports arenas, and we are excited to utilize their knowledge and successes to further improve the green initiatives on campus.” ARAMARK DISTRICT MANAGER BRUCE PERRY

“Spectra is excited to be a partner with UMass Lowell and River Hawk Nation in their efforts to find new and innovative ways to achieve sustainability here at the Tsongas Center.  Finding ways to have a positive effect on our  campus, environment and our community is something that has been important to us here in Lowell and at many of the venues we are associated with around the country.  We look forward to realizing the benefits of what we have been able to accomplish and the continued efforts to find other ways to make an impact.” TSONGAS CENTER GENERAL MANAGER KEITH VASKE (SPECTRA VENUE MANAGEMENT)

Read the full article here.

The post UMass Lowell Announces Joint Partnership with Green Sports Alliance appeared first on Green Sports Alliance.

By GreenSportsBlog

In today?s jam-packed GSB News & Notes:

? Rival fans of the University of Utah and Brigham Young University (BYU) have found one thing on which they agree ? the need to tackle the climate crisis.

? An Austria soccer stadium becomes home to a forest.

? And a group of NBA players are early, high profile investors in veggie burger companies. 

?HOLY WAR? CEASE FIRE FOR CLIMATE CHANGE

Life stopped for about four hours on August 29 for a good chunk of Utah?s population. That?s when the visiting University of Utah Utes defeated the BYU Cougars 30-12 in the annual intrastate ?Holy War? game in Provo. The rivalry between is every bit as fierce if not as well known as Alabama-Auburn (?The Iron Bowl?), Yankees-Red Sox, or Packers-Bears.

But this year, some red-clad Utah and blue-attired BYU students came together at halftime, forming a welcome purple wall to draw attention to the urgent need to take on the climate crisis.

Their message: If Utes and Cougars can meet up to work on climate change solutions, other warring groups of reds (Republicans) and blues (Democrats) can too.

The group, which calls itself Far Middle, created ?United We Change,? a short, cheeky video that describes their mission to bring together Utes and Cougs on climate:

But that wasn?t all.

Far Middle also formed a glowing ?#M? on a hill clearly visible from inside BYU?s packed LaVell Edwards Stadium the night of The Holy War..

According to the students, the #M stood not only for ?Middle,? but also for ?Mitt? as in Utah Republican Senator and 2012 GOP Presidential nominee Mitt Romney.

Per the Far Middle website, the group wanted to ?thank our main man, Senator Mitt Romney for taking climate change seriously.? Ten days before The Holy War, at a speech in front of a conservative audience in Salt Lake City, Romney stated that climate change is happening and human activity is a significant contributor. He acknowledged this position is rare among his fellow Republicans.

To make sure Senator Romney doesn?t waver on his support for climate change, Far Middle created an ironically-titled ?don?t change? Change.org petition.

Again, from their website: ?Mitt is showing that climate change is bigger than rivalries and political ideologies, and we don?t want to see that stop anytime soon. So we?re thanking him for seeing that bipartisanship (the far middle) is where durable solutions will be found. Whether you?re a Ute, a Coug, or heck, just a resident of planet earth who?d like elected officials to work together in order to avoid planetary destruction, you can help by signing the petition.?

As of Wednesday, 527 people have signed on.

AUSTRIA STADIUM TRANSFORMED INTO CONTROVERSIAL FOREST ART INSTALLATION TO DRAW ATTENTION TO CLIMATE CRISIS

Before September 8, Wörthersee Stadium in Klagenfurt, Austria was nothing out of the ordinary.

But from that day until October 27, the 32,000 seat, 12-year-old soccer stadium that normally is home to second division (aka top minor league) SK Austria Klagenfurt, is instead showcasing ?For Forest ? The Unending Attraction of Nature,? the largest art installation in the country.

?For Forest? is brainchild of artist Klaus Littmann. According to a September 6 photo-story by Jim Powell in The Guardian, Littman was inspired more than 30 years ago by Max Peintner?s 1970-71 pencil drawing, ?The Unending Attraction of Nature.?

Max Peintner?s ?The Unending Attraction of Nature? (Photo credit: The Guardian)

Peintner imagined a time when forests will exist only as exhibition objects. Littmann decided to turn imagination into reality.

Landscape architect Enzo Enea used 300 trees to cover the entire pitch with a mixed forest characteristic of central Europe. The project is Austria?s largest public art installation and can be seen for free, day or night, from 10 AM to 10 PM. ?For Forest? was funded in part by ?tree sponsors?, each of whom contributed ?5,000.

The ?For Forest? art installation by Klaus Littmann at Wörthersee Stadium in Klagenfurt, Austria (Photo credit: David Payr/The New York Times)

Per Alex Marshall, writing in the September 27 issue of The New York Times, Littman ?said he wanted people who saw the forest to think about humanity?s impact on the environment in places like the Amazon.?

Not surprisingly, there has been some controversy surrounding ?For Forest?. From Marshall?s Times piece, the project has been attacked ?For using foreign trees, instead of local ones from Carinthia [region], and for preventing a local soccer team using the stadium for important matches.?

According to Littmann, transporting the trees had released up to 55 tonnes of carbon dioxide. That is roughly equivalent to the emissions created by taking 25 flights from New York to Vienna.

The artist had hoped to find a stadium in France, Germany or Switzerland but no team in those countries would allow their stadium to be used. SK Austria Klagenfurt?s owners said yes because the team is performing poorly and attendance has been very low. They are playing their ?home games? in Graz, 90 miles to the northeast during the seven week ?For Forest? installation.

Aerial view of ?For Forest? (Photo credit: UNIMO)

The exhibition is drawing between 3,000 and 7,000 daily visitors. After it closes on October 27, the trees will be replanted nearby.

VEGGIE BURGERS: NEW PERFORMANCE FOOD & INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITIES FOR NBA STARS

Environmentally-friendly veggie burgers (as compared to beef) are the new performance food.

According to SI.com?s Chris Ballard, that?s what several NBA stars believe. And they are putting their money where their mouths are.

Here are some highlights from Ballard?s must-read September 24 piece, ?Beyond Endorsing: How Veggie Burgers Became the NBA?s New Gatorade?:

• Chris Paul (Oklahoma City Thunder), Kyrie Irving (Brooklyn Nets), DeAndre Jordan (Nets) and JJ Redick (New Orleans Pelicans) were among the NBA stars who invested in Beyond Meat, the ?El Segundo, Calif., producer of plant-based [Beyond Burgers] and sausages engineered to taste and look like the real thing?, before its May 2 initial public offering (IPO).
• The stock opened that day at $46/share, closed its first day of trading at $65. ?By July it had soared above $230/share, a rise of more than 800 percent.? It has since dropped to $126 as of Wednesday morning trading on NASDAQ.
• The players say they weren?t in it mainly for the cash (they?re all multi-millionaires many times over. ?Rather, they are?converts and proselytizers.?
• Paul and Redick eat both plant and animal protein, Jordan is a vegan.
• Redick, who grew up with vegetarian parents, had tried a myriad of veggie burgers but didn?t like the taste. Beyond Burger, to Redick, tasted like beef.
• Today?s NBA players constantly seek micro advantages. ?If a plant-based diet really can extend a playing career?as Beyond Meat CEO Ethan Brown contends and many believe?then reducing meat intake is worth the trade-off.?
• Irving starred in the first 30 second Beyond Burgers ad, ?The Future of Protein, last February.

Read the full article here.

The post GSB News and Notes: Rival Fans Team Up on Climate, Forest Grows In Soccer Stadium, NBA Players Invest in Veggie Burgers appeared first on Green Sports Alliance.

By Xcel Energy Center Sustainability

The post Xcel Energy Center and Saint Paul RiverCentre Celebrate a Decade of Sustainability appeared first on Green Sports Alliance.

By Lew Blaustein, GreenSportsBlog

You wouldn?t blame second year NFL quarterback Josh Rosen if he kept quiet about climate change. 

After all, the former UCLA signal caller, who was traded following his rookie season from the Arizona Cardinals to the Miami Dolphins, has a new city and offense to learn and a rebuilding team to lead. 

But Rosen, who took over as the Dolphins starting QB in Week 3, believes you can walk the NFL Quarterback walk while talking the climate change talk. 

GreenSportsBlog spoke with Rosen about his interest in the environment and climate change, how he talks about it with teammates, fans and media, and what he thinks it will take for there to be more climate change-fighting athletes.

A LIFE-LONG ENVIRONMENTALIST

Josh Rosen is surprised that so many people are, well, surprised that he?s an environmentalist.

?The environment is something I cared about since as far back as I can remember,? said the UCLA product. ?I grew up in Manhattan Beach in Southern California. Concern for the environment was the rule in our community rather than the exception. We learned about conservation in kindergarten. Water conservation, soil conservation, species preservation?all of it. My parents also emphasized it.?

Josh Rosen after quarterbacking the UCLA Bruins to a victory (Photo credit: Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)

St. John Bosco High School in Bellflower is where Rosen?s climate change interest crystallized.

After encountering skepticism and denial from some classmates, the curious quarterback realized he didn?t know enough about the subject. Rosen started to do some digging, asking questions of climate experts and becoming an avid listener of the podcasts of Neil deGrasse Tyson, the director of the Hayden Planetarium at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City and an astrophysicist. 

All of this confirmed to the young Rosen that the science was clear, and the verdict was in: Climate change is real, it is human caused, and humanity has to act aggressively, immediately and strategically, to be able offer a healthy planet to the next generations.

That meant convincing the skeptics and deniers at St. John Bosco would be easy, right?

Not so fast.

?I learned then that it?s very hard to change people?s minds on climate change, or on many things,? recalled Rosen. ?People are just very invested in being right. So, if you tell them ?I know the science, I?m right, you?re wrong? ? the person you?re trying to convince will just get defensive.?

So Rosen called an audible.

He tried to connect with deniers and skeptics on things on which they could agree ? i.e. we all need clean air to breathe, clean water to drink, and a habitable planet to share ? and get into the climate change discussion that way.

As I listened to the Dolphins quarterback discuss his high school climate discussions, the language and tone sounded very similar to that of Dr. Katharine Hayhoe, the climate scientist at Texas Tech and the best climate communicator I?ve ever heard. She lives in Lubbock, the most conservative city in the country with a large evangelical population that is deeply skeptical about climate change. Check out her terrific TED Talk below and her wonderful video series Global Weirding to see what I mean.

Dr. Katharine Hayhoe delivers her 17 minute TED Talk

Like Rosen, Dr. Hayhoe, named by Time Magazine in 2014 as one of the 100 most influential people in the world, emphasizes finding common ground and shared values with doubters and deniers. Her message, tailored to the Lubbock community, is about ?tending to God?s Green Earth?.

Another Hayhoe maxim: One of the most important things one can do to fight climate change is to talk about it.

TALKING THE CLIMATE TALK?

Rosen continued to do just that while at UCLA.

?Some guys on the team questioned climate but I really enjoyed having a good back and forth,? Rosen shared. ?Again, I would try to listen and then focus on the solutions, on a healthier, cleaner, cooler environment. These were positive discussions for the most part because my teammates wanted to learn.?

Speaking of learning, NFL scouts had been studying the 6? 5? Rosen as a potential franchise quarterback practically from the time he set foot on the Westwood campus, attracted by his rifle arm and other physical talents, a high football IQ and his aforementioned curiosity. The Arizona Cardinals selected him with the tenth pick of the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft.

Things didn?t work out in the desert: a rough rookie year was followed by the firing of the Cardinals? head coach. Then the team used the first overall pick in this year?s draft to select Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Kyler Murray of Oklahoma.

A trade was inevitable, and the Miami Dolphins were the perfect partner on two levels.

1. They were quarterback-needy and,
2. Miami/Miami Beach is the U.S. city that is, by many metrics, the most at risk to climate change-caused sea level rise.

Rosen certainly has a lot on his plate football-wise: Making the offense installed by new offensive coordinator Chad O?Shea second nature, showing Dolphins management over the rest of the season that he is the man to lead the team up from their 0-4 abyss, and proving he is the team?s long term solution at football?s most important position.

Rosen throws his first touchdown pass as a Miami Dolphin last Sunday to DaVante Parker

But that won?t stop him from speaking out on the environment and climate change.

And the Dolphins? owner is fine with it.

?I?ve already spoken to Stephen Ross¹, and he told me he?s very concerned about the environment and is interested in doing something about it,? Rosen shared. That includes contracting with 4Ocean, which funds the removal of trash from the oceans and coastlines by selling bracelets made of recycled materials, and also provides the Dolphins with reusable water bottles.

Josh Rosen and fellow 4Ocean volunteers help with beach cleanup (Photo credit: 4Ocean)

It should be noted that Ross, who made a good chunk of his fortune in the New York City real estate market, hosted a much-publicized $250,000 per person fundraiser in the Hamptons to support the re-election of Donald J. Trump this summer. The President regularly denies the reality of climate change, pulled the U.S. out of the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement and has overseen the reversal of dozens of executive orders and federal programs designed to protect the environment.

?AND WALKING THE CLIMATE WALK

For his part, Rosen is an enthusiastic endorser of adidas? Parley for the Oceans apparel made from recycled materials ? he recently visited their Portland, Oregon headquarters to learn about how the garments are made.

It?s a safe bet that Rosen is the only NFL quarterback to make the environment and climate change such a prime focus of his off-field activities. Why is he such a rarity?

?Athletes, like most people, don?t see that climate change is affecting them and others right now,? emphasized Rosen. ?If they even think the about the issue, athletes might see it as a problem that will impact their grand kids. So, they need to be educated about climate change to see that it is happening now, and that there are real solutions available right now.?

The Dolphins? QB is excited about some of those solutions ? he admires the way Elon Musk has innovated with Tesla. Rosen is convinced that others will take the baton from Musk and turn EVs into the dominant form of vehicular transportation. He?s also interested in learning more about carbon pricing ? a tax or fee applied to fossil fuel production that will accelerate the movement of producers and consumers from oil, gas and coal and towards renewables and energy efficiency.

?I haven?t done much research on it yet so I?m not sure about which [carbon pricing] approach is best,? acknowledged Rosen. ?But I do know fossil fuels are not priced properly ? air pollution and climate change aren?t accounted for in the price, for example. Once that is corrected, renewables will be much more competitive and will grow enough to eventually solve our fossil fuel problems.?

The $54 trillion question¹ ? the estimated global cost of keeping average global temperature increase versus pre-industrial levels at 1.5° C ? is: Will humanity act aggressively enough and in time² to avoid climate change?s most catastrophic consequences?

?I believe most people will see the hundred-year floods, the massive droughts, the political instability, the climate change-infused mass migrations as our responsibility as humans to do something about,? Rosen offered. ?I believe we will make the greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reductions. Will we do it fast enough? I don?t know. I will do my best to do my part.?

Read the full article here.

The post Talking Climate Change with Miami Dolphins QB Josh Rosen appeared first on Green Sports Alliance.

By ESPN W Sports

The International Ski Federation has signed onto a U.N. climate change initiative in a move some view as a welcome about-face from its president, whose comments about environmentalists alarmed leaders in the ski and snowboard community.

FIS announced Wednesday that it had joined the U.N. Sports for Climate Action Framework and made it part of its sustainability policy.

The announcement comes seven months after the athletes’ group Protect Our Winters (POW) and the world’s largest snowboard maker called for FIS President Gian Franco Kasper’s resignation after he spoke of “so-called climate change” and said he would rather deal with dictators than environmentalists.

Kasper later apologized. On Wednesday, in a statement announcing FIS’ sign-on to the climate change document, he said: “This is an important and clear step for FIS to play its role in combating climate change.”

POW said that based on a campaign it started, more than 9,000 people wrote letters to FIS demanding serious action on climate change, as well as Kasper’s resignation.

“We are encouraged to see that the FIS listened to the concerns of our community and hope this is the first step in FIS leveraging its platform to address the crisis with the urgency and seriousness it deserves,” POW executive director Mario Molina said.

Donna Carpenter, the co-CEO of Burton Snowboards, also applauded the move.

“It’s encouraging to see that the FIS is no longer denying climate change and has taken an initial step toward being part of the solution,” she said.

The announcement came on the same day a U.N. climate panel released a report saying, among other things, that Arctic June snow cover has shrunk more than half since 1967 and Arctic sea ice in September is down almost 13% per decade since 1979.

That melting has corresponded with shorter winters across the globe, which profoundly affects winter athletes who need snow and glaciers, which are also rapidly melting, for training and competitions.

Eighty sports organizations, including 14 international sports federations such as FIS, and organizing committees for the next three Olympics have signed onto the Sports for Climate Action Framework.

The document calls on signatories to promote five core principles, including reducing the overall climate impact from sports and advocating for climate action through their communications.

Read the full article here.

The post FIS Signs on to UN Climate Change Initiative appeared first on Green Sports Alliance.

By Madeleine Orr, The Sustainability Report

Organisations are signing up to the Sports for Climate Action Framework and becoming members of the Green Sports Alliance, but very few are taking genuine climate action, says Madeleine Orr

The post Critics Corner: Where?s the climate leadership? appeared first on Green Sports Alliance.

By sportanddev.org

Copyrights: Sam Beebe

The post Protecting our Planet: Sports Brands appeared first on Green Sports Alliance.

By Reuters

Credit: REUTERS/Leonhard Foeger

NEW YORK, Sept 25 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – Fans and players of winter sports from skiing to hockey could be marshalled in efforts to fight climate change, from election campaigning to calculating the impact of global warming on ice-skating ponds, organizers said on Wednesday.

Skiing, ice hockey and outdoor skating are all affected by climate change, but can also be a resource to fight back, said organizers of efforts to deploy sports in the battle against global warming at a meeting in New York.

The United Nations hosted a climate action summit this week at the behest of Secretary-General António Guterres to launch more ambitious ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, cut waste and move to renewable energy sources.

The countless sports fans around the world could be a force in combating global warming, said Geert Hendriks, head of Sport and Sustainability International, a Swiss-based nonprofit group.

?It is important that we use sport to talk about climate action,? he said.

?Our beautiful sports, whether it?s skiing, or hockey or speed skating, are at risk … but also we have massive opportunities to use the power of sports to advance all these conversations.?

Hendriks said the number of ski resorts in the Alps with reliable snow supplies had dropped to 176 from 193 a decade ago.

?I don?t have to tell you what?s going to happen if that keeps going. The Alps will no longer be a ski resort,? he said.

The warning came as authorities in the Alps closed roads and evacuated some huts over fears a section of a glacier on Europe?s highest mountain, Mont Blanc, could collapse. Hundreds of thousands of people flock to the area every year to ski or snowboard.

In the United States, sports tourism adds some $20 billion to the annual economy.

But the length of the snow season in the American West has declined 34 days since the early 1980s, according to scientific research.

The climate advocacy group Protect Our Winters, based in the western state of Colorado, aims to involve skiers, snowboarders, climbers, runners and other athletes in state politics around the country, said Winston Binch, a board member.

?That group of people can have a disproportionate impact on elections,? Binch said. ?It?s about getting climate deniers out of office. It?s about passing bills. It?s about getting people elected.?

The outdoor sports industry creates so much revenue and so many jobs that it can wield a message, he said.

?When you make the pitch about jobs and economic impact, more people listen.?

On a local scale, a project called Rink Watch has enlisted amateur ice skaters, mostly in Canada, to report where and when they play on outdoor rinks and ponds, said Omar Mitchell, vice president for sustainability at the National Hockey League.

The data is compiled to measure changes to the ice that could be attributable to global warming.

?It?s empowering people who may not be environmentalists to say, ?You know what? I care about where I play. I care about the communities where I play,?? Mitchell said.

Read the full article here.

The post Passion for Winter Sports can Help Fight Climate Change, Organizers say appeared first on Green Sports Alliance.

Times Higher Education Ranks UBC #1 in Climate Change Action and Sustainable Cities

By UBC

The University of British Columbia is ranked number one in the world for taking urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts and ranked one in Canada for making cities inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable, according to Times Higher Education (THE).

?UBC?s achievements in these rankings is a clear reflection of the great work of our students, faculty and staff who combine their expertise to ensure UBC is a leader in creating vibrant, sustainable and connected communities and campuses,? said UBC President and Vice-Chancellor Santa J. Ono.

THE University Impact Rankings, in which UBC ranks top three overall amongst 500 participating institutions across 75 countries and six continents, aims to measure universities? social and economic contributions through their success in delivering on the United Nations? Sustainable Development Goals [SDGs]. These SDGs include promoting good health and well-being and quality education; achieving gender equality and reducing inequalities; fostering innovation; building sustainable cities and communities and achieving responsible consumption and production; and tackling climate change.

?These rankings not only reflect how UBC has worked to dramatically reduce its own climate impact for more than 20 years, but also the importance of engaging in partnerships and collaborations with NGOs and provincial and federal government to develop broader sustainability approaches and solutions. We are proud of all of our researchers, students and staff who have been involved in this work,? said Vice President, Research and Innovation Gail Murphy.

UBC is a community where over 80,000 people live, work, learn and play, and visit each day. The campuses in Vancouver and Kelowna not only focus on providing a sustainable environment for its residents and workforce, they also play a key role in the cultural life of its cities and communities, providing public access to buildings, libraries, museums, green spaces, and natural heritage sites of cultural significance.

Despite an increase in both building space and student enrolment, UBC has also achieved a 34 per cent reduction in GHG emissions from a 2007 baseline. UBC established its Climate Action Plan that set some of North America?s most aggressive greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction targets in 2010. UBC is on-track to reduce GHG emissions by 67 per cent as of 2021, and targeting 100 per cent by 2050. The university has also reduced campus water consumption by 50 per cent since 1999, and reduced natural gas consumption by 30 per cent in the past five years.

UBC campuses also serve as living labs for sustainability research and knowledge, and equipping learners to become responsible global citizens and agents for change.

?We?re very fortunate at UBC to have a committed campus community and access to innovative sustainability research and infrastructure, the combination of which is allowing the university to take big strides in reducing its footprint,? said John Metras, UBC?s associate vice president, facilities.

Metras noted the completion of the $90-million hot water district energy system as a key achievement leading to water use reduction, operational savings as well as a 30 per cent drop in gas consumption for heating. The cost of repairing the older system would have been $190 million.

?The Bioenergy Research & Demonstration Facility (BRDF) is another example of how we are pushing sustainability initiatives forward,? said John Madden, director of sustainability and engineering with Campus and Community Planning.

?The BRDF uses clean wood waste to generate energy for 25 per cent of campus heating and hot water needs (100 per cent in summer), and reduces GHG emissions. The facility has displaced around 8,500 tons of emitted fossil fuel-based carbon dioxide annually since 2012,? said Madden.

UBC also ranked notably well with respect to implementing global partnership for sustainable development. UBC faculty, staff and students and private, public and NGO partners use the University?s physical infrastructure and research capabilities to test, study, teach, and apply lessons learned, technologies created, and policies developed to address global challenges.

Learn more here.

The post #GreenSportsDay – UBC appeared first on Green Sports Alliance.

Delaware North

SunTrust Park
Delaware North and SunTrust Park, home of Major League Baseball?s Atlanta Braves, increased its efforts to expand and improve waste diversion by implementing an organic waste and glass-recycling program and successfully diverted an extra 101 tons from the landfill collectively. To date more than 340 tons were diverted from the landfill to exceed our 2019 goal of diverting 336.5 tons, a 25% increase from last year!

Progressive Field
Delaware North at Progressive Field implemented a reusable cup program for associates to reduce waste from disposable plastic cups, lids, and straws. Since the beginning of this year?s season, over 1,000 cups are in use!

AMALIE Arena
AMALIE Arena?s year-round operational Hydroponic Garden is equivalent to a one-acre garden. Our horticulturist grows Heirloom cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, basil, cilantro, dill, oregano and parsley. We garnish platters and desserts with edible flowers including marigolds, pansies and dianthus.

TD Garden
TD Garden is an anchor tenant in Clean Energy Collective?s collective 1.3-megawatt community-shared solar photovoltaic (PV) cell to reduce electricity costs and increase access to renewable energy sources.

The post #GreenSportsDay – Delaware North appeared first on Green Sports Alliance.

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Innovation is requisite for staying ahead in the convention business. It’s second nature for Las Vegas, and it’s also the watchword for reinvention in convention markets around the U.S.

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AEG Facilities and SMG owner Onex announced they will merge to create ASM Global. The new company will be headquartered in Los Angeles and will operate over 300 venues across five continents that include arenas, stadiums, convention centers and performing arts centers.

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As the new year approaches, so does a new beginning for San Francisco’s meetings business. The long-awaited opening of an upgraded Moscone Center came in early January, as the convention complex debuted a $551 million expansion.

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Meetings Today Senior Contributor Jeff Heilman touched base with Massachusetts Convention Center Authority (MCCA) Executive Director David Gibbons on the MCCA’s increase in group business and the future of the facility.

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Orlando's Orange County Convention Center is moving forward with a $605 million campus improvement plan. The project will bring expansions and new meeting and exhibit space in the North and South concourses, further increasing the center’s seven million square feet of total function space.

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IACC, the association that represents the global conference center segment, is set to more than double its number of European facilities within the next four months if a deal to add the supplier members of two conference center groups comes to fruition, according to IACC CEO Mark Cooper.

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The America’s Center Convention Complex in St. Louis will undergo an expansion and extensive renovations. The AC Next Gen Project, which will include the addition of 92,000 square feet of exhibit space, a 65,000-square-foot ballroom and meeting area, a new outdoor pavilion and 26 new loading docks, was announced during a press conference held on October 3.

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On a recent tour of the Greater Columbus Convention Center, Meetings Today spoke with John Page, general manager for SMG for the Greater Columbus Convention Center (GCCC). Page shared his advice for navigating a convention center renovation or expansion.

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Once you’ve seen one convention center you’ve seen them all, right? A recent visit to the Chattanooga Convention Center left me surprised to find some nice touches that many of its bigger—and smaller—city counterparts lacked. Following are five standout features I noticed during my tour of the Chattanooga Convention Center led by Executive Director Mike Shuford, during a press trip with the Chattanooga CVB.

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The Kentucky International Convention Center (KICC) hosted a grand opening ceremony, Monday, Aug. 6, 2018 following a two-year, $207 million renovation and expansion project. State and local government officials, along with KICC facility officials and staff welcomed meeting clients, local stakeholders, interested citizens, and media to an open house that showcased how the new facility will host small to large-scale events.

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Caesars Entertainment broke ground on its $375 million, Caesars Forum conference center on Monday, July 16, during a ceremony for trade press, industry executives and Caesars staff members. The ceremony was also livestreamed by Caesars so that people could tune in from all over the world.

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Meetings Today contributor Carolyn Blackburn interviewed Jennifer B. David, Senior Marketing & Communications Manager with the Greater Columbus Convention Center (GCCC), to discuss recent updates to the facility. The GCCC, which features 373,000 square feet of contiguous exhibit space, wrapped a two-year $140 million renovation and expansion project in July 2017 to improve the overall guest experience, including the installation of an impressive art collection and local F&B concepts.

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College towns are happening hubs of activity, where the arts, sports and culinary delights thrive. All that and more is on deck for planners who book a university setting for a conference.

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Architects have submitted their designs for the phase two expansion of the Las Vegas Convention Center.

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The artwork installed at an increasing number of popular convention centers transforms these necessarily utilitarian buildings into magnificent galleries that rival some of the most inspired museums in the world.

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The City of Arlington announced plans for Esports Stadium Arlington, an esports-specific venue designed to draw competitive gamers and fans from around the world. The proposed venue will be built within the existing Arlington Convention Center in collaboration with architecture firm Populous.

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Meetings Today checked in with Michele Hughes, Director of Sales & Marketing with the Connecticut Convention Center (CTCC).

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Goodbye big-box, bunkeresque venues. Hello green rooftop micro-environments, wellness spaces and hip street-party-scapes.

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Addressing profound changes in how their customers are approaching learning, many conference centers are in a process of reinvention

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Many convention centers are striving to reflect and showcase their locations.

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An exceedingly intelligent choice for meetings and events.

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The times they are a changin’, and all for the better from this reporter’s perspective.

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Generic big-box convention centers seem to be going the way of the buggy whip and typewriter.

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Here is the top feedback when it comes to staging cutting-edge conference meets.

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Are you fully engaging your attendees?

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When it comes to putting fun on the agenda, State College is one smart choice.

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Dana Freker Doody answers questions from Meetings Focus' Invigorate Your Large Events webinar.

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Today's conference centers are more about standing out than fitting in.

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Educational facilities throughout Florida give attendees a chance to relive the college experience.

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A look at major convention center projects in Green Bay,  King of Prussia, New York, San Antonio and San Diego.

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Modern convention centers are about experience as much as setting.

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The 2014 IACC Annual Conference reported it has attracted the most registered attendees since 2008.

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State College, home to Pennsylvania State University, welcomes groups with its vibrant ambiance and excellent on-campus (and off-site) facilities.

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