The National Hockey League seems like an unlikely environmental ally. But a sport born on frozen lakes stands to lose a lot in a warming world. NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman is committed to keeping “the air clean and the ponds frozen for future generations.”
In 2010, NHL Green was launched. Then NHL Metrics was established to collect data on energy, water, and waste at the league’s 30 arenas. In 2014, the NHL’s Sustainability Report was the first of its kind by a professional sports league. From reducing the carbon footprint of its operations to conserving water and curbing waste – it outlines the myriad of ways that the NHL is striving to achieve sustainability.
The National Resources Defense Council has called Commissioner Bettman ‘one of the greatest environmental champions in the world of sports.’ This fall, the NHL received the Environmental Protection Agency’s Green Power Leadership Award for powering its offices, events, and arenas with certified renewable energy. The NHL is now the 17th largest user of green power in the U.S., and in 2014, the league had its first carbon-neutral season.
This isn’t the first time the EPA has recognized the NHL’s efforts. The league has received several Environmental Quality Awards and Environmental Merit Awards for its food recovery partnership with the charity Rock and Wrap It Up.
Last month, the New York State Department of Conservation acknowledged the NHL with an Environmental Excellence Award for its sustainability leadership. Efforts extend beyond arenas and into communities. One example is the Sabers ‘Blue & Gold Make Green’ Campaign, which includes cleanup events along Buffalo’s waterfront, tree plantings in city parks, and electronic waste recycling.
Kudos to the NHL for leading by example.
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Web Links
2014 NHL Sustainability Report
Pro Hockey Releases Sustainability Report
Photo, posted March 14, 2015, courtesy of Doug Kerr via Flickr.
Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio, with script contribution from the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies.