Fiserv Forum, home of the NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks, has been awarded Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum certification by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC).
The facility joins Portland’s Moda Center as one of only two NBA arenas to achieve Platinum certification under LEED v4.1 for Operations and Maintenance (O+M) and now represents Wisconsin’s first sports venue to earn Platinum status, the highest level available.
“Thanks to our incredible staff and partners, we achieved LEED Platinum certification within just seven years of opening Fiserv Forum, solidifying our deep commitment to sustainability and building on our previous Silver and Gold certifications,” said Dennis Williams, senior vice president and general manager of Fiserv Forum. “The Milwaukee Bucks continue to raise the bar in leadership by operating Fiserv Forum as a sustainable and energy-efficient building for employees, fans, and visitors.”
Fiserv Forum received LEED Platinum certification in part due to its sustainability initiatives in four categories: water, waste, transportation, and human experience. The facility has tracked its performance in each category over the last 12 months using Arc, a software platform that monitors sustainability efforts according to LEED guidelines. The initiatives considered in each category are:
- Water: Added touchless faucets throughout the arena, improved the tracking of domestic water entering the arena, and implemented an improved water treatment plan to reduce water consumption in cooling towers.
- Waste: Implemented a trash sorting program following each arena event, increased recycling efforts, and implemented new food waste practices using the Orca Food Digester to limit the amount of food waste in landfills.
- Transportation: Added Bublr Bike and Lyft stations outside the arena, leading to a higher rate of employees walking, biking, or using public transportation to work based on employee surveys.
- Human Experience: Enhanced air quality management by installing Kaiterra sensors that monitor the quality and safety of air inside the arena.
Fiserv Forum and the Bucks issued a special thanks to founding and smart building partner, Johnson Controls, and the organization’s first global sustainability partner, Wilo, for their contributions to this achievement. Fiserv Forum and the Bucks also recognized Populous, EUA, GFL Environmental, Arch Solar, We Energies, and Kimberly Clark as partners in sustainability.