The Tampa Bay Rays and the Tampa Bay Times Forum—home to the Lightning-are past awardees of the ECUS Sustainable Business Awards for their winning records on the Triple Bottom Line—people, planet and profit. They are part of a growing movement in the sports world to practice sustainability. With its tens of thousands of spectators, vast media impact, and the fact that it is the recipient of tons of civic pride, the sports industry has a unique potential influence for modeling sustainable behavior. The good news is that the commissioners of every major professional sports league have all endorsed the need to act to address global climate disruption and other ecological issues.
Every sports industry Jewel Event — the Super Bowl, the World Series, the Stanley Cup, the NBA Playoffs and Finals, the U.S. Open Tennis Championships, Major League Soccer’s Championship Cup, every All Star Game, and the NCAA Final Four — all now power their events with renewable energy and purchase carbon offsets to reduce their contribution to global warming.