LG, NCAA, Local Partners Host Recycling Event in Conjunction with 2015 NCAA Men's Final Four

INDIANAPOLIS, March 19, 2015 /3BL Media/ – The NCAA® and the Indiana Host Committee are intent on making the 2015 NCAA Men’s Final Four in Indianapolis “greener” by decreasing the event’s environmental impact.

In cooperation with Official NCAA Corporate Partner LG Electronics USA, a free Electronics Recycling Event is planned for March 28 at Lucas Oil Stadium. From 10 a.m. through 3 p.m. Saturday in the stadium’s South Lot, individuals are encouraged to bring unwanted electronic devices to be recycled.

Those who bring in their electronics for responsible recycling will receive tickets to Final Four Fan Fest presented by Capital One and Final Four Green Team pins (while supplies last). The March 28 event is coordinated through RecycleForce, a 501(c)3 organization offering comprehensive and innovative recycling services while providing life-changing workforce training to formerly incarcerated individuals.

This NCAA Final Four-related event is a great opportunity for central Indiana residents to make a positive impact on the environment, according to LG Electronics USA Vice President John Taylor. “Electronics recycling minimizes the amount of hazardous waste in the landfills and extraction of new raw materials from the earth,” he said.

Items that will be accepted include computer components (hard drives, monitors, scanners and keyboards), home electronics (TVs, radios, CD and DVD players, etc.), small home and office appliances (copiers, fax machines, microwaves, toasters, printers, dehumidifiers, etc.), and gaming equipment (consoles, batteries, etc.).

The following items will not be accepted: anything that includes manifested hazardous, radioactive and biohazardous waste, devices that contain mercury, large appliances such as refrigerators, washing machines, and dishwashers, as well as light bulbs.

While helping to make the Men’s Final Four green through this e-waste event, LG encourages consumers to replace outdated electronics with ENERGY STAR certified TVs and computer monitors, which will help save energy and fight climate change. College basketball fans are invited to check out the “LG Training Facility” at the NCAA Final Four Fan Fest presented by Capital One to learn more about LG ENERGY STAR certified TVs and appliances and to take the ENERGY STAR Pledge.

Recycling and Sustainability

The NCAA and Indiana Host Committee have incorporated all of the Indiana sustainability impact areas into the Final Four and related events by planning a wide range of activities and actions designed to engage residents, businesses and visitors to help make a more sustainable Indiana. Some of the projects include:

• TREE PLANTING: The NCAA and Keep Indy Beautiful partnered to plant 26 trees at seven higher education and neighborhood community facilities in the greater Indianapolis area to commemorate the seventh time that Indianapolis has hosted the Men’s Final Four.
• BUDDY BENCH PROGRAM: Plastic bottle caps are being collected by 10 schools and several other local organizations which will be recycled into benches that will be placed at these schools.  The benches help discourage bullying and encourage inclusion.
• ZERO VARIANCE: Final Four volunteers will donate a piece of clothing to Goodwill Industries in exchange for their volunteer uniform.
• FOOD REPURPOSING: Venues hosting Final Four festivities will donate all unused food to Second Helpings, which will then repurpose the food and distribute to people in need.
• PEDAL & PARK AND PACERS BIKESHARE: The use of bicycles will be encouraged by providing free bike parking for privately owned bicycles, distributing free Pacers Bikeshare passes to volunteers and event organizers and enhancing the existing bike share capabilities.
• REPURPOSED BAGS: All banner material from venues involved in Final Four events will be repurposed into reusable tote bags which will be given to the volunteers as a Thank You gift.
• CHARGING STATIONS: Cell phone charging stations will be located throughout Lucas Oil Stadium.
• GREEN TEAM WATER BOTTLES: All volunteers who pledge to behave more environmentally conscious will be provided a reusable water bottle to reduce the amount of plastic in landfills.
• RECYCLING: All Final Four venues will provide receptacles and encourage recycling.

The 2015 NCAA Men’s Final Four Weekend includes fan events surrounding the national semi-finals and championship game at Lucas Oil Stadium in downtown Indianapolis. Information is available at NCAA.com/FinalFour as well as @FinalFour on both Twitter and Facebook.com/FinalFourIndy. These events include:

• Final Four Fan Fest presented by Capital One at the Indiana Convention Center Friday, April 3 through Monday, April 6
• NCAA March Madness Music Festival at White River State Park, a three-day event including the AT&T Block Party (April 3), Coca-Cola Zero Countdown (April 4) and the Capital One JamFest (April 5)
• Reese’s Final Four Friday at Lucas Oil Stadium on Friday, April 3, featuring open practices by all four teams and the Reese’s College All-Star Game
• Northwestern Mutual Road to the Final Four 5K beginning at the NCAA Hall of Champions on Saturday, April 4
• Youth initiatives including Coca-Cola NCAA Youth Clinics at four locations on Saturday, April 4, and the Final Four Dribble refreshed by Coca-Cola in Downtown Indianapolis on Sunday, April 5

For March Madness® fans enjoying the Final Four® games from home, LG encourages fans to visit www.LGGameDayHub.com for a variety of NCAA-related content and interactive fan experiences including trivia, games, a sweepstakes for a chance to win a trip to the 2016 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Final Four among other great LG prizes. #LGGameDay

# # #

About LG Electronics USA

A proud Official Corporate Partner of the NCAA, LG Electronics USA, Inc., based in Englewood Cliffs, N.J., is the North American subsidiary of LG Electronics, Inc., a $56 billion global force and technology leader in consumer electronics, home appliances and mobile communications. In the United States, LG Electronics sells a range of stylish and innovative home entertainment products, mobile phones, home appliances, commercial displays, air conditioning systems and solar energy solutions, all under LG's “Life's Good” marketing theme. LG Electronics is an ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year. For more information, please visit www.lg.com.

About the NCAA

The NCAA is a membership-led non-profit association of colleges and universities committed to supporting academic and athletic opportunities for more than 460,000 student-athletes at more than 1,000 member colleges and universities. Each year, more than 54,000 student-athletes compete in NCAA championships in Divisions I, II and III sports. Visit www.ncaa.org and www.ncaa.com for more details about the Association, its goals and members and corporate partnerships that help support programs for student-athletes.  The NCAA is proud to have the following elite companies as official Corporate Champions—AT&T, Capital One and Coca-Cola—and the following elite companies as official Corporate Partners—Allstate, Amazon (Kindle), Buffalo Wild Wings, Buick, Burger King, Enterprise, Infiniti, LG Electronics USA, Lowe's, Nabisco, Northwestern Mutual, Reese's (Hershey's), Unilever and UPS.

Media Contacts:

John Dedman, Indiana Sports Corp., (317) 237-5016, jdedman@indianasportscorp.org

Emily James, NCAA, (317) 917-6117, ejames@ncaa.org

Taryn Brucia, LG Electronics USA, (201) 816-2187, taryn.brucia@lge.com