08-11-2025
Greening the Game: How Stadiums Are Becoming Champions for the Planet
Dominic Manzo, 4ocean Content Producer
In this episode of Can Business Save the Planet, 4ocean co-founder Alex Schulze talks with Scott Jenkins, co-founder of the Green Sports Alliance, about how stadiums and sports organizations are stepping up for the planet.
The Green Sports Alliance is changing the game by helping sports teams and venues implement real, measurable sustainability solutions. From zero waste initiatives to rethinking energy use and tackling single-use plastic at scale, the impact is tangible. With 30 years of experience managing and operating sports venues, Scott has seen how wasteful the industry once was and how far it has come.
Scott shares how stadiums are now achieving over 90 percent waste diversion from landfills, shifting toward compostable service items and reusable cups, and even eliminating plastic bottles entirely in some venues. These improvements are already happening in stadiums like Mercedes-Benz in Atlanta and CPKC Stadium in Kansas City.
But sustainability in sports goes beyond waste. Transportation and energy are major hurdles. That’s why location, public transit access, and greening the energy grid are key strategies Scott and his team promote to reduce a venue’s carbon footprint.
Perhaps the most powerful lever is influence. Sports connect with far more people than traditional environmental messaging. Stadiums can become platforms that inspire fans, shift consumer behavior, and prove that sustainability can be exciting, profitable, and culturally relevant.
Watch the full podcast to hear how the Green Sports Alliance is helping transform the sports industry into a driver of real climate action.
Watch the full episode now:
