In honor of Super Bowl LVIII being held in Las Vegas, the Raiders teamed up with NFL Green and its partners to plant 58 trees at Arroyo Sports Complex in Henderson on Tuesday morning.
The planting was part of a larger ceremony that passed the "Golden Shovel" from last year's Arizona Super Bowl committee to the Las Vegas committee, signifying the passing of community improvement projects from one host city to the other.
"I am so excited for the city of Las Vegas and the surrounding communities to have this opportunity," said Jennie Patel, Arizona Super Bowl Committee member. "It's so much bigger than what you just see here today. But this is the kickoff. This is the moment that really plants the seed of what is coming for Super Bowl LVIII."
Raiderettes and Raider Rusher were on hand to celebrate the moment and help with the planting efforts. These type of greening improvement projects are new to the Silver and Black, as they participated in similar events when Las Vegas served as the host city for the 2022 Draft and the 2022 and 2023 Pro Bowls.
"Sustainability is a critical effort," said Henderson Mayor Michelle Romero. "It is also important that we expand green spaces to enhance quality of life and reduce air emissions. The benefit to our park today will certainly be significant, but my greater hope is that these efforts will take root with meaningful and lasting impacts to our water conservation efforts and a beautiful natural space that will grow and flourish for years to come."
NFL Green is the league's environmental program that works closely with communities who host Super Bowls, Pro Bowls and Drafts to create a lasting "green" effect on the environment. Since 1993, the NFL Green has been recognized for the Super Bowl being the greenest professional sports event in the country.
With a high importance placed on investing in local green spaces as well as conservation, NFL Green announced that this is just the first of more than a dozen community greening projects in the months leading up to the Super Bowl.
Upcoming projects include restoring two acres of habitat at Warm Springs park, planting fruit trees for Nevada's only nonprofit hospice, and planting more trees throughout Clark County to provide shade, cooling, beauty and to help reduce the heat island effect.
Las Vegas Super Bowl LVIII Host Committee President Sam Joffray noted how important it is that host cities see the good effects that come along with such a large event.
"We are a community making sure that we do everything we can to make sure the Super Bowl happens for Las Vegas instead of to Las Vegas," Joffary said. "This is an important milestone as we start our environmental program for the next few months that will have a lasting impact on the community."
