Have you ever been to a large stadium or arena for an athletic event and wondered what happens to all of the food left under the seats? If not, look at how much food is left under the seats next time you are at a game. The amount will astonish you and make you wonder if it is a human problem or an infrastructure issue in the arena. Bin placement in arenas is very strategic, as is educational material(s) explaining where items should go. No longer does it only matter about picking up the trash, but what is more important is where that trash goes. One arena has become the prototype for managing waste and prioritizing sustainability. State Farm Arena, home of the Atlanta Hawks, not only believes in environmental sustainability, it is woven into their DNA and every decision they make.

Our guest on The Green Hour today is Sofi Armenakian, Head of Sustainability for the Atlanta Hawks and State Farm Arena. Sofi is a trailblazer for sustainability in the sports and entertainment industries. She was the first in the NBA to hold a director-level sustainability title, and she led the arena to become the first arena in the world to achieve TRUE platinum zero waste certification. Under her leadership, State Farm Arena has become a case study for sustainability in large arenas. In 2022 alone, the arena diverted 2.5 million pounds of waste from landfills, composted 734,000 pounds of food and organic material, reused or donated 610,000 pounds of materials like food, electronics, clothing, crates, and pallets, and reduced annual waste by 160,000 pounds by eliminating paper tickets, individual condiment packets, and disposable service ware.

Sofi's path to where she is today is everything but ordinary - being born in Armenia, growing up in Germany, and moving to the US without knowing any English. She overcame the language barrier and is now trilingual (Armenian, German, and English). State Farm Arena is a sustainability success story, but as you will hear, so is Sofi's life, which is the embodiment of the American Dream.