Rose Garden earns LEED status

Tuesday, January 26, 2010, 9:59am PST

The Portland Trail Blazers announced Tuesday that the team earned LEED Gold status for its sustainability efforts at the Rose Garden Arena — a first for a major league sports facility.

The certification, awarded to the Rose Garden by the U.S. Green Building Council under their Leadership in Energy and Environmental (LEED) program, identifies and rewards best practices for a building’s energy, water and natural resource performance.

“The Trail Blazers are proud to play a role in Portland’s drive to be the greenest city in the country,” said Larry Miller, president of the Portland Trail Blazers. “Today’s announcement is a result of the local expertise and innovation helping Portland foster a stronger, more sustainable economy. We don’t view this as a one-time achievement, but as an important step toward our long-term goals.”

The Rose Garden staff’s sustainability efforts included the following programs:

• Recycling: Officials say more than 60 percent of operations waste is diverted from local landfills. Recycling stations for visitors and a food-waste composting program with vendors divert approximately 1,000 tons annually.
• Transportation: More than 30 percent of Rose Garden attendees use public or alternative transportation, such as bicycle commuting. The team subsidizes transit passes for staff and uses bikes and electric vehicles for on-site operations.
• Energy, Gas and Water: In addition to upgrading to energy efficient lighting and low-flow plumbing fixtures, the Trail Blazers partnered with Pacific Power and NW Natural for the purchase of 100 percent renewable energy programs for the Rose Garden.
• Purchasing: The Trail Blazers developed partnerships with suppliers for sustainable purchasing, including more than 95 percent compostable food and beverage serving containers and materials, 100 percent recycled content trash liners, replacing disposables with re-usable commodities, using green-certified chemicals and equipment and sustainable food and beverage alternatives for fans.