Playoff Green Achieves Remarkable Sustainability Milestones at 2023 College Football Playoff National Championship

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Jun 15, 2023, 15:35 ET

Exemplifying Environmental Leadership in Los Angeles

LOS ANGELES, June 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Playoff Green announced today the results of its sustainability program as part of the College Football Playoff (CFP) National Championship in January 2023 in Los Angeles (LA). Playoff Green continues to raise the bar and lead the way for mega-events, tracking sustainability from load-in to load-out across all associated venues for the CFP National Championship.

After a robust greenhouse gas (GHG) tracking effort, 100% of all electricity, local transportation, onsite fuels, waste, food and beverage procurement, and energy consumed from water were offset using regional renewable energy certificates and carbon offsets by STX, a Sustainability Sponsor of Playoff Green. Additionally, the CFP elevated its leadership position and offset 7% of fan travel. To view Scope 1, 2, & 3 GHG tracking to verify offsets, please see the 2023 Playoff Green Impact Report.

The Los Angeles Host Committee and Playoff Green welcomed over 100 individuals to the green team to assist in sustainability efforts around national championship game week fan activations. The green team hand-sorted 127 tons of materials across two weeks throughout Los Angeles County, rescuing 89% of all CFP-generated waste from local landfills with 31 tons of material being composted. Over 22,000 meals were salvaged from event activities and donated to local food banks, including LA Food Bank, LA Mission, Chefs to End Hunger, and Sister of Watts. In addition, 18 tons of reusable goods were donated to CultivaLA and Habitat for Humanity.

Playoff Green facilitated its highest community impact project to date with the donation and installation of the 23,000 sq ft of sod from the Allstate Championship Tailgate field outside SoFi Stadium following the national championship game. Donated to Ted Watkins Memorial Park with support from Etzel Agency, Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation matched the donation to install a fully functioning 66,000 sq ft soccer field. The field now provides local youth access to sports, and the repurposed sod continues that mission of fostering the empowerment to play.

The 2023 Playoff Green program leveraged the CFP as a beacon of environmental wellness, equity, and resiliency for Los Angeles and college football fans everywhere with three pillars: Energize Fans, Activate Youth, and Leave No Trace. All efforts were led nationally by the CFP and the Green Sports Alliance and supported locally by the Los Angeles Sports and Entertainment Commission. Other key supporters include STX, phade, Etzel, Eco-Products, A3 Visual, Vapur, Blue Strike Environmental, and Rye Strategy.

Please view collegefootballplayoff.org/playoffgreen to read the full 2023 Impact Report.

About the College Football Playoff and Playoff Green
The College Football Playoff (CFP) is a postseason event to determine college football's national champion on the field while emphasizing the significance of college football's unique regular season where every game counts. Through its Playoff Green sustainability program, the CFP strives to minimize the environmental footprint of the national championship game and its ancillary activities. Playoff Green leverages the national championship game to be a beacon of environmental wellness, equity, and resiliency for its host community and the college football community.

About Green Sports Alliance
The Green Sports Alliance leverages the cultural and market influence of sports to promote healthy, sustainable communities where people work, live and play. The Green Sports Alliance convenes professional sports leagues, sports governing bodies, colleges, teams, venues, their partners, and millions of fans around meaningful change toward a more sustainable future. Through the Play to Zero® program, it leads the embrace of renewable energy, waste diversion, water efficiency, and environmentally preferable practices. Through its marquee event greening division, The Green Sports Alliance delivers best-in-class sustainable productions to minimize environmental impacts and maximize community legacies, driving scalability and replications across the industry. The Green Sports Alliance is committed to sharing best practices, visit greensportsalliance.org for more information. Follow on Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and TikTok. Subscribe to YouTube and Newsletter.

About Strive by STX
Strive by STX is the dedicated climate action arm of STX Group. We empower organizations worldwide to change their climate legacy and transform their environmental challenges into business opportunities. We are a sectorial advisor and a long-term partner that understands their business' needs of today and offers solutions to possible external risks or regulations of tomorrow. For more information, please visit strive.stxgroup.com

Statement from College Football Playoff
"We are proud to have been able to continue to reduce the environmental impact of our national championship event," said Bill Hancock, executive director of the College Football Playoff. "Just like the success on the field, the efforts to constantly raise the bar on our sustainability efforts around our game took teamwork. We are thankful for the efforts of the Green Sports Alliance, the Los Angeles Host Committee, and, of course, the thousands of fans who traveled to the game and took part in all the wonderful activities."

Statement from Green Sports Alliance
"Green Sports Alliance is a proud partner of Playoff Green. By demonstrating its environmental leadership with commitment and collaboration from one host city to the next, CFP is taking intentional action, and making a positive impact on youth access to sports, empowerment to play, ecological footprint, and material resource recovery across the entire footprint of the annual event," said Roger McClendon, GSA Executive Director. "Playoff Green is blazing the trail to becoming a Play to Zero Champion."

Statement from STX
"Strive by STX is proud to partner with the College Football Playoff and Green Sports Alliance to take steps at mitigating the carbon footprint associated with the event. We would like to commend CFP for acting in the climate emergency we now face and know that their efforts will positively influence their fanbase, event sponsors, and the world of sports to take action as well," said Austin C. Wentworth, Head of North America of Strive by STX. "We are the last generation to act against climate change and we could not be prouder of the efforts made by this team."

Statement from Ted Watkins Memorial Park
"We'd like to thank the College Football Playoff, Playoff Green program supported by ETZEL Agency for its donation of 23,000 sq/ft of sod to Ted Watkins Memorial Park in Watts. Not only has the refurbished field provided a place for residents to play soccer, but also ensures youth access to quality sports for the local South LA Community" - Carl Cooper, Deputy Director of Los Angeles County Department of Parks, and Recreation.

Statement from A3 Visual
"The A3 Visual team congratulates the CFP on another best-in-class event in Los Angeles at Sofi Stadium to celebrate its ninth national championship game," said Craig Furst, the CEO of A3 Visual. "We are grateful to be a part of the CFP family and have the privilege to provide graphic and installation services every year. With another great year of world-class football and entertainment programming, the CFP shined a spotlight on the city of LA."

Media Contact: [email protected]

SOURCE Green Sports Alliance