GOAL (Green Operations & Advanced Leadership)

The GOAL Team celebrates April Fools' Day by taking their inside joke public! For years, our team has joked about the Expos being the most sustainable franchise, due to their minimal stadium operations or team travel, yet heavy social media presence and continued fan following... It's gone so far, we even gift each other vintage Expos merch!  🤪   🌎 All jokes aside, the rest of April is for celebrating Earth Month, so come back to this page to catch the latest impacts as we celebrate GOAL Members that have found inspiring ways to drive sustainable change, despite managing extensive day-to-day operations.

Baseball is back. As the Chicago Cubs, Boston Red Sox, and Minnesota Twins begin their seasons, it’s a reminder that sustainability in live events isn’t driven by one initiative — it’s built across systems. Across their venues — Wrigley Field, Fenway Park, and Target Field — these GOAL Members have already built strong momentum through the GOAL Medals program. Last year alone, they collectively earned: 🥉 33 Bronze 🥈 21 Silver 🥇 27 Gold Spanning nearly every GOAL Medal category — from energy and water to waste and community engagement — this work reflects how sustainability shows up across every part of venue operations. As the season gets underway, they’re already delivering where it counts. #GOALMedals

Water is one of the most critical — and often overlooked — challenges in live events.   This #WorldWaterDay, we’re continuing to push the conversation forward.   GOAL’s new event series, Water & Venue Exchange (WAVE), intentionally combines leaders in sports and entertainment with solutions in Water Quality, Access & Conservation, and Resilience — helping the industry build knowledge, share solutions, and take action where it matters most.   Our first of these events, taking place in one week, was featured in Pollstar by Sarah Pittman: 🔗 - https://lnkd.in/eSfhEZTp   That conversation is being inspired by success stories across the GOAL network — leaders like Maria Sapienza at Chicago Cubs, Danielle Doza at Rocket Arena, and Sean Moore of the Minnesota Twins are showing what this looks like in practice — from water efficiency upgrades to rainwater capture and reuse systems.   Water industry leaders make this possible, from our friends like Apostolis (Paul) Sambanis, Ph.D. at Sloan, Lora Shrake at the Council of the Great Lakes Region, and GOAL Member partners like Oriana Raabe of Pentair.   Our first upcoming event would also not be possible with organizations such as gener8tor, Current, & The Water Council.   Because water is not an infinite resource — and the time to act is before challenges become crises.

March Madness has arrived — and Moody Center ATX has been building toward this moment. Over the past four seasons, Texas Women’s Basketball has made deeper runs in the NCAA Tournament, advancing from the Second Round to the Elite Eight and the Final Four. During that same stretch, Moody Center’s basketball-season waste diversion rate has climbed from 50% to more than 80%, reflecting major progress in reuse, composting, and recycling. Same arena. Shared momentum. As the Longhorns begin another March run this weekend, we’ll be watching both the bracket — and the continued progress toward zero waste at Moody Center. #HookEm #GOALMember

Dead phone batteries are one of the quickest ways to disrupt the live event experience.   GOAL Solution Provider, Joltzly, keeps fans connected — placing shared charging infrastructure throughout the venue so fans can stay powered without breaking from the experience.   It’s a small operational detail, but one that can reduce friction, improve flow, and create more consistent touchpoints across the venue.   In addition to enhancing the in-venue experience through portable charging stations, Joltzly’s power bank hubs unlock new advertising opportunities through integrated 25–55" digital signage displays. A strong example of how small infrastructure decisions can shape the overall fan experience.

Today is Global Recycling Day — and across the GOAL Member network, recycling is more than a single bin.   In the 2026 GOAL Medals cycle, 62% of submitting members earned recognition for increasing waste diversion through recycling.   That includes: 🥉 2 Bronze 🥈 6 Silver 🥇 8 Gold   From bin placement and signage to staff training and facility-wide sorting programs, these efforts reflect the operational work required to make recycling effective at scale. GOAL Solutions like Busch Systems & Max-R help to set these efforts up for success, along with continuous leadership and intentional management by the driven operators! #GlobalRecyclingDay

Today is Solar Appreciation Day — a reminder of how renewable energy can power the venues where people gather for world-class sports and entertainment. At Climate Pledge Arena, renewable energy is built directly into how the venue operates. More than 1,300 solar panels installed on the Alaska Airlines Atrium and the 1st Ave N. Garage generates an average of 440,000 kWh of electricity each year. Because the arena’s roof is a nationally registered historic landmark, additional solar installations aren’t possible there — making a combination of on-site solar and off-site renewable energy procurement essential. In a region where the grid already relies heavily on hydropower, these efforts help continue expanding clean energy solutions. That approach reflects the intent behind the GOAL Medal for Prioritizing Renewable Energy: maximize on-site renewable generation where possible and support the development of renewable energy beyond the venue footprint. A strong example of how venues can adapt their approach while still prioritizing clean energy. #SolarAppreciationDay #GOALMedals

Awards season is here — so naturally, GOAL had to get in on the action.   Welcome to The GOALies.   No tuxedos required. Just the operations teams, partnerships, and data work happening behind the scenes to make live events more sustainable.   We’ve highlighted a few GOAL Members to get things started — but the list is far from complete.   Know a team, venue, or partner doing great sustainability work? Add your nomination in the comments and tag them below.

Great to see the Penguins Pledge Sustainability Game bringing partners and community together around sustainability. Thanks for the conversation, Pittsburgh Penguins!