SUSTAINABILITY STRATEGIES
Environmental scientist Dr Allen Hershkowitz was approached by NBA Commissioner David Stern in 2007 with a grand plan. The former head of American basketball wanted to transform the sport and the league into a beacon of sustainability.
Today, nearly two decades later, NBA Green stands as one of the most comprehensive environmental programmes in professional sport.
Despite the obvious carbon footprint of the sport – the global travel, the stadiums, the entertainment complex – NBA Green goes to show that even the largest industries can meaningfully address their environmental impact.
And while it is a hugely successful programme, at the heart of it is just one simple idea.
“ Less than 20 % [ of adults in the US ] follow science, and over 80 % follow sports. So, if you want to educate people and hopefully change behaviour, you need to meet people where they’ re at,” Allen says.
How NBA Green took shape NBA Green was launched in 2007 by Allen, David and the NBA’ s Social Responsibility President, Kathy Behrens, founded on the simple yet powerful premise that the league’ s enormous platform could be used to encourage positive environmental change within the organisation and beyond.
Allen, who had previously helped Major League Baseball begin embracing sustainability, brought decades of experience from his work at the Natural Resources Defence Council.
86 January 2026