Alaska Airlines Arena, Husky Stadium to promote green initiatives at sporting events
Seattle, WA —The University of Washington Athletic Department’s sustainability program has chosen GreenDrop Recycling Stations to help implement their strategic sustainability plans for waste diversion at Alaska Airlines Arena and the newly renovated Husky Stadium.
The Athletic Department’s sustainability committee, better known as the “Green Team,” selected GreenDrop Recycling Stations from Pacific Cascade Corporation as an instrumental part of the recycling and composting program at both venues, where over 730,000 guests attend annually.
GreenDrop Recycling Stations reduce landfill contributions by users easily self-sorting recyclable and compostable items so are not placed in the landfill waste stream. Self-sorting reduces the Athletic Department’s environmental footprint while minimizing expenses and being fiscally responsible through sustainable operations.
The UW Athletic Department is a member of the Green Sports Alliance, and was one of the first collegiate organizations to join the Alliance. “We wanted to continue being on the forefront and enhance our environmental performance,” commented Aubrey Batchelor, Environmental Stewardship and Sustainability Coordinator. “We’re committed to promote green initiatives at home sporting events.”
“Partnering with GreenDrop allows our Athletic Department to incorporate a convenient waste-diversion system that patrons can easily utilize without increasing operational costs,” explains Carter Henderson, Assistant Athletic Director. “We evaluated other containers, but GreenDrop was the best option for our recycling needs.”
The unique, market-leading GreenDrop Recycling Station was designed through multi-year efforts of the Portland Trail Blazers head office and the newly named Moda Center, formally the Rose Garden Arena. The arena’s landfill diversion rate increased from 38% in 2007 to 90% in 2011, in part by replacing old-style garbage cans with GreenDrop Recycling Stations. GreenDrop stations reduce landfill contributions by visually guiding users to properly dispose recyclable items. GreenDrops are a key tool in reducing a venue’s environmental footprint through fiscally responsible sustainable operations.
“We’re seeking LEED Gold Certification and greatly increasing our landfill diversion rates is essential to receive that award,” said Dan Gaston, University of Washington Athletics Assistant Athletic Director, and Event and Operations Manager.
Lyle Peters, Director of Sales for the GreenDrop Stations, adds, “This has been an exciting project for the Pacific Cascade team. UW Athletic Department ordered 169 stations to be deployed at Husky Stadium and the Alaska Airlines Arena. The university designed custom labels to correspond with their brand guidelines and we helped coordinated the process so GreenDrops arrived with labels installed and ready to deploy.”
GreenDrop Recycling Stations are a proven asset when investing in facilities operations and public perception. Contact us to discuss how GreenDrop stations can enhance your recycling/composting/waste diversion program.
Pacific Cascade Corporation Lyle Peters 14208 N.W. 3rd Court, Suite 200 Vancouver, WA 98685-5759 (360) 574-9313 1-800-292-7275 LyleP@GreenDropRecycling.com
ABOUT THE UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON
University of Washington (UW) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington. Founded in 1861, UW is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast and one of the top medical schools in the US.
Known as the Huskies, The sports teams participate in the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s Division I-A and in the Pacific-12 Conference. Among its facilities on campus are the newly remodeled Husky Stadium (football, track and field), the Alaska Airlines Arena (basketball, volleyball, and gymnastics) where the GreenDrop Stations will be deployed.
The University football team won the 1960 and 1991 national title, to go along with eight Rose Bowl victories and an Orange Bowl title. The men’s basketball team have appeared in 16 NCAA Tournaments and 7 National Invitation Tournaments.
ABOUT PACIFIC CASCADE CORPORATION
Since 1987, Pacific Cascade has been providing the Parking, Hospitality, Traffic Enforcement, and recently adding the Environmental Sustainability Industries with products to manage and support their effective operational needs. GreenDrop Recycling Station received a 2012 Product Competition Award for Recycled Product of the Year.