Founding Member

SMG is committed to our corporate environmental responsibility.  This commitment to the communities where we do business is based on the principles that the company was founded on in 1973.  SMG is an international company doing business around the world and is proud of its Green Initiatives in the venues that we manage and in the communities that we live and serve.  We are committed to ensuring that we are a ‘socially responsible’ company and take our commitment to the environment and the communities in which we operate seriously.

We have a responsibility to our guests, suppliers and partners as a leading facility management company to do all we can to reduce our impact on the environment.  We are committed to building a culture where our clients, employees, guests, suppliers and contractors recognize our commitment to ensuring that our facilities operate successfully in our communities, and that we achieve our goal as a company of long-term sustainable success.

By taking steps to reduce waste from our daily facility operations and actively seeking ways to reduce our carbon footprint, we can do our part to help preserve the earth’s natural resources and enhance the quality of lives in our community.  SMG actively seeks opportunities to minimize our environmental impact.  The SMG management staff of the DeVos Place Convention Center believes that to achieve its goals of becoming the premier venue in Michigan, it must lead not only economically, but environmentally and socially as well.  The company understands that it is in a prominent position to affect the environment of Michigan.  Its objective is not only to sustain the environment for its descendants, but also to rehabilitate the damage previously done.

Every effort is made to conserve resources throughout operations.  The purchasing department seeks products and services of local origin and that are environmentally sound. DeVos Place Convention Center’s success is monitored on an annual basis with a commitment to continual improvement.  Furthermore, SMG strives to meet or exceed existing environmental laws and regulations, and continually seeks efficiencies in the day to day operation of the facilities that we manage.

More information on our respective websites….

https://devosplace.org/environmental-sustainability-initiatives-0

VAN ANDEL ARENA: PLAYING OUR PART

• purchase from local vendors as much as possible to reduce vehicle emissions
• promotes employee battery recycling with the support of the Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation
• uses cleaning products that are Green Seal Certified
• brings unused chemicals back to the distributor to be reused and kept out of landfills
• uses biodegradable trash bags
• diminishes use of non-plastic disposable products by eliminating the purchase and consumption of Styrofoam
• recycles Arena’s cardboard, office paper, homosote, plastic from ad panels, and all metal by-products and delivers to recycling stations
• honors clients’ requests to recycle waste produced at their shows
• delivers used computers to be refurbished and reused or recycled
• repurposes hockey plexiglas or donates it to be repurposed
• reduces energy consumption by putting outdoor marquee on “night hours”
• installed water restrictors in facility to aid in reducing water waste and change the DI Zamboni water system to a more environmentally-friendly reverse osmosis system
• uses Variable Frequency Drives (VFDs) in the ice plant and HVAC system to save energy by providing variable speeds for the air handling units

*As the exclusive food/beverage provider for Van Andel Arena, SAVOR has teamed up with Earth Pledge and adopted the following green initiatives including:

• avoiding plastics and Styrofoam products made with petroleum-based chemicals that contribute to pollution, toxicity and landfills
• uses eating utensils made from renewal resources, like corn and potato starch
• uses plates and bowls molded from the fiber that remains after the juice from sugar cane is extracted
• uses coffee cups made from paper and fully renewable sources
• uses biodegradable cups at concession stands during events
• reducing carbon footprint by sourcing organic and hormone-free produce locally ie: buying their flour from King Mill in Lowell,MI
• purchasing only sustainable and environmentally-sound seafood products outlined by groups such as the Marine Stewardship Council
• developing waste disposal systems that separate kitchen-generated food waste for composting
• implementing recycling programs for kitchen-generated recyclables and donating excess products to outreach programs for the elderly and less fortunate

https://vanandelarena.com/sustainability-0