Phoenix, Glendale focus on sustainability as host of NCAA Final Four
PHOENIX (AZFamily) — Hours before the University of Connecticut faces Purdue University in the Men’s Final Four championship game on Monday night, the Phoenix Local Organizing Committee shared its plans for sustainability.
Big events often lead to a big footprint, but this year, both Phoenix and Glendale are working toward being carbon neutral.
“APS is providing 100% clean energy for the duration of Fan Fest here so they’re doing that through renewable energy certificates and trying to offset the energy that is used here,” said Jennie Patel, head of Social Responsibility and Volunteers for the Phoenix Local Organizing Committee.
March Madness is a three-week event.
In 2019, the tournament created the same amount of emissions that a large university creates in an entire year. Travel is responsible for nearly 80% of that.
“We really work with the event producers ahead of time. We send them a survey and try to capture the data of what is going to be used and what is going be left over at the end,” Patel said.
To host the NCAA championship, cities must submit a sustainability plan as part of their bid.
“We have four focus areas: waste diversion, community greening, food recovery and material recovery to really help us achieve those initiatives,” she said.
The Phoenix Local Organizing Committee, which has put on Super Bowls and the last Final Four, says it is all about keeping useful materials from landfills.
Lumber and structures from events are donated to at least 40 Phoenix-area nonprofits for them to reuse and repurpose.
“Keep PHX Beautiful, they’re using a lot of the leftover scrim and fence wrap for shade for their community gardens,” said Patel. “If they are able to use these leftover materials, then their money can go toward their mission.”
The impact goes much further than the environment.
“Boys and Girls Clubs of the Valley are taking some of the used court that we have leftover and they’re putting it in one of their clubs. We have many basketball machines that we use and they’re putting that in their rural branches,” she said.
The committee also has a food recovery program where they give food to three local nonprofits: United Food Bank, St. Mary’s Food Bank and Waste Not.
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