Wrap Up Of The First Green Sports Sustainability Summit

In Case you missed the recap of the first  Green  Sports Alliance Here is the link  and the story: Three-day summit provided common ground for sports,  sustainability executives PORTLAND, Ore. - The city of Portland welcomed sports  and sustainability executives from across the country this  week for the inaugural Green Sports Alliance Summit.  The three-day event, hosted by the Green Sports Alliance  (GSA), utilized an array of stories, case studies, lectures, panels, breakout groups and site visits to  demonstrate and share the best sustainability practices with industry leaders.   The Trail Blazers, widely considered as a leader in sustainability among professional sports  franchises, had team representatives speaking throughout the summit, including President  Larry Miller, who joined Portland Mayor Sam Adamsand Sacramento Mayor and three-time  NBA All-Star Kevin Johnson for opening remarks Monday evening at Gerding Theater.   "With the enthusiasm and connection that people have for sports, we are provided with an  excellent platform to drive home important issues around sustainability," said Miller. "The  position that the city of Portland has with sustainability makes it clear that the Trail Blazers  need to be in theforefront when it comes to sports teams."   "Sports have a way to draw different groups of people together like nothing else," added  Mayor Adams. "Using sports to communicate sustainability is the missing piece in our  effort to have everyone adopt a sustainable lifestyle."   The Trail Blazers are one of six founding members of the GSA, which launched in  March. The rapidly expanding organization now boasts more than 45 sports teams,  venues and leagues. The National Basketball Association (NBA) and National Lacrosse  League (NLL) recently joined, as did one of the largest operators of arenas and stadiums  in the world, AEG.   "The sports industry represents a vast opportunity to make meaningful strides towards  environmental responsibility and sustainability," said GSA Executive Director Martin Tull.  "We look forward to expanding the Alliance to include teams and venues across North  America so that we can help each other reduce our environmental footprint and create  positive change in our communities."   The majority of the summit's breakout groups and panel discussions were held at the  World Trade Center in downtown Portland. Trail Blazers speakers included: Chief  Operating Officer Sarah Mensah, Vice President of Communications and Community  Relations Traci Rose, Director of Community Outreach Ian Jaquiss, Director of  Sustainability and Planning Justin Zeulner, Sustainability CoordinatorJames  Jedibudiah and Senior Manager of Corporate Partnerships Steve Scott. The GSA was conceived of and initiated by Trail Blazers Owner Paul Allen and members  of the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) in the fall of 2009. Based in the  Pacific Northwest, other founding members include Major League Baseball's Seattle  Mariners, the National Football League's Seattle Seahawks, the National Hockey League's  Vancouver Canucks, the Women's National Basketball Association's Seattle Storm and Major  League Soccer's Seattle Sounders FC.