Last week, the National Hockey League celebrated its first Green Week to showcase its hard work toward environmental sustainability. The League also encouraged fans and partners to be a positive influence in Earth becoming a greener place.
“The efforts we make today toward a more sustainable planet will impact not only our sport but future generations,” Commissioner Gary Bettman said at the 2016 MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference as part of Green Week’s kickoff event. “All of our clubs support NHL Green environmental programs, and NHL Green Week is an important initiative to create even more attention for, and awareness of, this critical priority for the National Hockey League.”
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In recognition of Green Week, the League released an article detailing how Constellation and Bloom Energy have come together to provide clean energy to not only its fans but some of its arenas, too, through new fuel cell technology.
LED lighting and other ENERGY STAR products are becoming more widely utilized around the League. In fact, the 2016 NHL All-Star Game in Nashville at the Bridgestone Arena was the first All-Star game to be played under LED lights. The League also boasts being the 20th largest user of green power in the United States.
“Committed to not only grow our sport but to preserve our planet while doing so.” #NHLGreen https://t.co/iUQxrRiEk7https://t.co/wDT8w48kIL
— NHL (@NHL) March 14, 2016
Omar Mitchell, the League’s vice president of corporate and social responsibility for NHL Green also spoke at the MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference. He highlighted plans to donate 100 tons of reusable food, or 120,000 meals, every season. This is action to make sure food is being consumed as necessary and not wasted in landfills.
Additionally, there will be a replenishment of 7.5 million gallons of water to the Colorado River. This comes as an attempt, in partnership with Bonneville Environmental Foundation to restore bodies of water negatively affected by climate change.
Among other initiatives such as “rink refurbishment projects,” Mitchell mentioned that the League is providing “green principles to community rinks as a way to lower operating costs, thus lowering the cost of ice time.”
As the NHL looks to future Green Weeks, they will certainly be preserving the future of a sport unlike any other whose creation can be attributed to the natural environment and its elements.
However, the NHL isn’t the only professional sports league in North America to be taking environmentally-friendly actions.
The National Basketball Association has come together with the Green Sports Alliance, as well as the Natural Resources Defense Council, or NRDC, to generate awareness and funds for protecting the atmosphere, calling the partnership NBA Green. Its vision is “to explore ways of reducing impact on the environment through community outreach programs, generating awareness among fans, and greening its operations.”
Teams and venues from around the Association have greatly benefited from the work of NBA Green. Including the American Airlines Arena, which was the first, of six other arenas to have received LEED certification by the US Green Building Council. The Portland Trailblazers have introduced Green Games during the 2015-2016 season hoping “to engage fans in the organization’s efforts to reduce its environmental footprint.”
The NBA has also done their own annual Green Week similar to the NHL. From March 22-29, 2015 the NBA Green Week was embraced by teams and players participating in greening events and programs. They emphasized reduce, reuse, and recycle or “three pointers.” Throughout the week, the NBA worked with the Arbor Day Foundation promising to plant three trees for every three-pointer made.
Major League Baseball incorporates environmental sustainability through their Team Greening Program, in cooperation with the NRDC. Started in 2008, this program was developed to help jump-start the MLB’s movement toward ecological protection and beneficial practices among its teams. Last spring, the Boston Red Sox took to the rooftops above Yawkey Way and planted gardens containing produce and herbs, calling it “Fenway Farms.” Several years prior, the San Diego Padres teamed up with Buster Biofuels to create a concept to recycle cooking oil into biodiesel, thus reducing carbon emissions, mainly by school busses.
Overall, the Natural Resources Defense Council has played a major role in partnering with major sports to create widespread environmental awareness measures and events. The NRDC also has ties with the National Football League, Major League Soccer and National Collegiate Athletic Association making them a leading advocate on how the Earth is cared for by sports leagues.
Now with the NHL joining the growing green party there is a powerful movement between many major sports leagues forming. Let’s hope it can influence some of the fans of those leagues to do their part in making the world a bit more green.