It looks like not only will Mercedes Benz-Stadium be known for it’s technology, but also for its sustainability. In sports today, the two go hand in hand.
President Obama and the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy recognized the sustainability efforts at Mercedes-Benz Stadium as an example of the impact sports can have in reducing carbon emissions and increasing climate resilience. October 6 has now been declared Green Sports Day.
Scott Jenkins, general manager of Mercedes-Benz Stadium, was in Washington D.C. last week for the event.
Mercedes-Benz Stadium, being the future home of the National Football League’s Atlanta Falcons and Major League Soccer’s Atlanta United, is leading the charge in its sustainability efforts. Set to achieve LEED Platinum certification once construction is complete in the summer of 2017, the stadium will be the first sports facility to achieve all water credits available for LEED. The project is also committing to further restore natural water systems wetlands and damaged watersheds, through the pursuit of a new LEED Pilot Credit strategy titled Water Restoration Certificates (WRC).
Through this effort, the stadium will purchase WRCs locally from the Flint River in Georgia’s water supply, providing for a 100 percent regional impact and monetary benefits for the local watershed. The stadium include multiple public rail-line stations within a mile, solar-powered electric-vehicle charging stations to cut down on emissions from transportation to the stadium, a retractable roof, and 4,000 solar panels, estimated to produce 1.6 million kilowatt-hours per year – enough to power 160 Atlanta homes.
“From inception, Arthur Blank challenged us to make Mercedes-Benz Stadium one of the most sustainable buildings in sports,” says Jenkins, when discussing Mercedes-Benz Stadium. “We’re proud to say that we are achieving our goal by implementing innovative solutions that will allow us to be the first professional sports stadium to achieve LEED Platinum status.”
As a bonus, the Green Sports Day proclamation urges partners to adopt sustainable practices and leverage the cultural and market the influence of sport to change attitudes and behaviors.
