Earlier today, the Atlanta Hawks and State Farm Arena, in partnership with Smurfit Westrock, a leading provider of sustainable paper and packaging solutions, planted 100 trees as part of the Rock the Rim campaign at Freedom Park. Since the 2023-2024 season, for every dunk made, the Hawks and Smurfit Westrock committed to planting a tree in the local community. 

“The ‘Rock the Rim’ initiative is a great way to support the Hawks for every exciting dunk this season while also helping to make a real difference in our community from a sustainability standpoint,” said Andrew Saltzman, President of Business Enterprise and Chief Commercial Officer for the Hawks and State Farm Arena. “Smurfit Westrock shares many of our values and sustainability goals. We're proud of what we're undertaking together to help build a better Atlanta." 

This event tipped off at 9 a.m. and took place at Freedom Park, one of Atlanta’s largest parks. More than 50 volunteers from both the Hawks and Smurfit Westrock were on site to plant trees in about three hours. 

“Smurfit Westrock and our team of volunteers are committed to making a positive community impact through our partnership with the Hawks and Trees Atlanta,” said Tammy Pollock, regional vice president, Communications, Smurfit Westrock. “As a global manufacturer of sustainable paper and packaging solutions, we know the positive impact thriving tree canopies have on community wellbeing and appreciate the opportunity to leverage our partnership to enhance the tree canopy at Freedom Park and Atlanta’s green spaces.”

Since the beginning of their partnership in 2024, the Hawks and Smurfit Westrock have planted a total of 445 trees in various communities throughout the city including Candler Park, Clear Creek, Connally Nature Preserve, Proctor Creek, and Wooddall Creek. This project aligns with the Atlanta Hawks commitment to sustainability, as well as the U.S. ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) components by contributing to environmental stewardship through reforestation efforts, fostering community engagement, and enhancing corporate responsibility.

Smurfit Westrock is the official entitlement partner of State Farm Arena’s Resource Recovery Room (R3), an area dedicated to sorting waste generated during all events hosted at the award-winning downtown Atlanta venue. 

State Farm Arena is the world’s first sports and live entertainment venue to receive TRUE Platinum Certification for zero waste. When beginning this journey in 2019, State Farm Arena diverted only an average of 10 percent of total waste. Since 2021, the venue has consistently diverted more than 90 percent of all waste from landfills.

To learn more about the Hawks and State Farm Arena’s leadership in sustainability, visit StateFarmArena.com/Sustainability.