ATLANTA — State Farm Arena, home of the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks, has received a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold Certification from the U.S. Green Buildings Council (USGBC). Situated in downtown Atlanta, State Farm Arena was certified due to efforts that include a partnership with Rubicon Global to recycle 12,500 seats in 2018 following its $192 million makeover; the arena and surrounding area becoming a smoke-free campus; upgrading the lighting fixtures to LED lighting, which led to 41 percent lighting power reduction; installing more efficient plumbing fixtures that will save 540,000 gallons of potable water per year; and more than 900 tons of waste was sent to Atlanta’s Lifecycle Building for resale, instead of going to the dump. There are four levels of LEED certification, according to the USGBC: Certified, Silver, Gold and Platinum. State Farm Arena, previously known as Philips Arena, is owned by the Atlanta-Fulton County Recreation Authority and operated by the Atlanta Hawks Basketball Club, which is owned by Tony Ressler along with a group of investors including Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer Grant Hill.
