WEST SACRAMENTO, CA (MPG) - The Sacramento River Cats and Sutter Health Park have joined a collective of major venues in sports and live entertainment across the globe as a member of the industry-wide GOAL sustainability platform to champion social impact, climate action, and responsible change. 

GOAL, which was founded in October 2022 by Oak View Group (OVG), the Atlanta Hawks & State Farm Arena, Fenway Sports Group, and green building expert Jason F. McLennan, is a community of sustainability-minded sports and entertainment operators which provides venues at different points in their sustainability journeys with tactical roadmaps, easy-to-use tracking tools, a library of resources and case studies, and access to like-minded, leading operators, vendors, and solution-providers, all committed to operating more sustainably, more urgently.

Sutter Health Park joins a growing list of venues, representing legendary teams and iconic places of mass assembly committed to leading, learning, collaborating and, in all cases, making a positive impact on their communities and for the planet. GOAL supports each venue’s sustainability journey through data collection and analysis in addition to providing sustainability strategy, communications support and corporate partner engagement.

The Sacramento River Cats and Sutter Health Park have been an active participant in implementing sustainable best practices which included the installation of stadium solar panels, the use of internal LED lights, and intentional recycling efforts across the organization which include a food waste diversion system. Additionally, in partnership with area businesses, the River Cats created the Sustainability Circle in 2015 to work collaboratively to cultivate sustainable practices and reduce their carbon footprint.

“We look forward to continuing our renewable journey by joining the GOAL sustainability platform,” said Chip Maxson, President/COO of the Sacramento River Cats. “This partnership will allow us to enhance our industry-leading efforts and further our commitment to keeping our region beautiful and healthy for generations to come.”

The venues within GOAL represent different sports, different geographies, and different building types of varying sizes and ages, ensuring that the input and feedback is worthy of the diversity of the live entertainment and hospitality industry. Some venues are already leading the way when it comes to climate action, and others are just beginning their respective journeys. But in all cases, these venues are action-oriented, climate-minded, and understand the urgency required to address a changing planet. 

Properties within GOAL include: Acrisure Arena (Greater Palm Springs, CA), Budweiser Gardens (London, ON), CFG Bank Arena (Baltimore, MD), Chip Ganassi Racing (Pittsburgh, PA), Citi Field (New York, NY), Climate Pledge Arena (Seattle, WA), Co-op Live (Manchester, UK), Fenway Sports Group (Boston, MA), Footprint Center (Phoenix, AZ), Frost Bank Center (San Antonio, TX), Gainbridge Fieldhouse (Indianapolis, IN), Los Angeles Dodgers (Los Angeles, CA), Levi’s® Stadium (Santa Clara, CA), MGM Music Hall (Boston, MA), Miami Heat (Miami, FL), Moda Center (Portland, OR), Moody Center at University of Texas Austin (Austin, TX), Mullett Arena at Arizona State University (Tempe, AZ), PPG Paints Arena (Pittsburgh, PA), Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse (Cleveland, OH), Sacramento River Cats (Sacramento, CA), Spectrum Center (Charlotte, NC), State Farm Arena (Atlanta, GA), Subaru Park (Chester, PA), Target Center (Minneapolis, MN), UBS Arena (Belmont Park, NY), Wrigley Field (Chicago, IL), Xcel Energy Center (St. Paul, MN)

“Our collection of GOAL venues represents forward-thinking venues across the sports, live entertainment and convention industry,” said Chris Granger, OVG360 President. “I applaud Sutter Health Park for their leadership, for their spirit of collaboration, and for their understanding of the urgency demanded by climate change. I look forward to working with Chip Maxson and his team, learning from them, and sharing the very best ideas and best practices with our industry as we race against the clock, together.”

OVG’s Sustainability Director Kristen Fulmer added, “We designed GOAL to make sure that the data points and thresholds for leadership meet venues anywhere along their sustainability journey, engaging – and without shaming – venues that are just getting started, while also enhancing efforts in venues that already make an impact in a variety of different topics, from waste diversion, to water conservation, to improved indoor air quality.”