CHARLOTTE – Trane Technologies plc, a global climate innovator, and the Panthers are launching a competition where high school students will reimagine and design the sustainable sports stadium of the future. The partnership will also explore ways to reduce waste at events at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte.
The "Trane Technologies Stadium of the Future STEM Challenge" will invite students from six high schools in North Carolina and South Carolina to use creativity and Science, Technology, Engineering and Math Skills (STEM) to submit their designs for a sustainable high school sports stadium, with a chance to win up to $5,000. The competition will launch this fall, with the winner to be announced late November. The winning stadium design will be showcased at a home game during the season.
"We are excited to expand our longstanding collaboration with the Carolina Panthers and Bank of America Stadium with new programs to encourage sustainable solutions and STEM learning for students," said Donny Simmons, President, Commercial HVAC Americas, Trane Technologies. "We hope this competition will inspire career curiosity within STEM and sustainability fields which are in high demand. A healthy and sustainable planet depends upon the talent and innovation of today."
"We're thrilled to partner with Trane Technologies on two programs that promote important sustainability efforts," said Tom Glick, president of Tepper Sports and Entertainment. "Trane is a global leader in developing sustainable climate solutions for venues and has played an integral role at Bank of America Stadium for many years in our efforts to reduce our environmental impact."
The Panthers and Trane Technologies are also collaborating on a "Shut Out Waste" initiative that will explore ways to support recycling of plastic cups, wrappers, plates and other materials generated at stadium events with a goal of reducing waste.
In an effort to support North Carolina's statewide goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 40 percent by 2025, Bank of America Stadium worked with Trane on upgrades in 2018 that helped reduce the stadium’s energy usage by 1.7m kilowatt hours per year. The improvements include heat pumps and a Tracer® Ensemble™ building management.
