The National Hockey League and its fans are supporting a better, cleaner world by embracing “green ideas.”
When you think of the National Hockey League, what immediately comes to mind? Is it the big, bone-shattering hits off the glass? The high-octane competition that often comes down to a single point or two at the end of the game? Or the inevitable, gloves-off skirmishes that players seem to enjoy almost as much as the audience members?
“The NHL currently ranks as #20 on the U.S. EPA’s list of the Top 100 National users of green power.”
In the end, professional hockey is what you make of it, but one word that doesn’t automatically come to mind when you think of pro hockey is… sustainability. That’s right, hockey fans may not know that their league is one of the most progressive when it comes to adopting sustainable and “green” energy ideas. Take a look at the ways in which hockey leads the sporting world when it comes to the green movement.
Did you know that…
American NHL fans are 11 times more likely to recycle plastic, glass and paper than the average American?
And… These same fans are 13 times more likely to eat locally sourced foods vs. the average American who will do so just 9% of the time. NHL fans are also twenty times more likely to pay for eco-friendly products and services than non-fans and nineteen times more likely to donate to environmental causes.
Green Is In
When it comes to “greening the game,” the NHL has taken huge strides to maximize energy efficiency and minimize the amount of wasted energy at its arenas. But the green movement isn’t just limited to the NHL’s fan base - it goes beyond the fans and encapsulates the league itself.
Check this out - as of 2014, the NHL became the first and sole professional sports group to issue a sustainability report. Five NHL arenas are now using on-site solar power systems or low-emission energy sources to partially power their facilities, which reduces the amount of carbon in the air by hundreds of thousands of metric tons per year.
The NHL has also upgraded lighting systems in several arenas over the past few years, which will likely reduce energy consumption by up to 25%. And, more than 330,000 pounds of carbon dioxide will be kept from entering the atmosphere thanks to this upgrade. Five arenas have switched over to LED lights, which look better and can deliver up to a 90% energy savings over standard bulbs.
Maybe most surprisingly, the NHL currently ranks as #20 on the U.S. EPA’s list of the Top 100 National users of green power.
For more information about the NHL and green energy, take a look at an informative infographic that demonstrates the strides taken by the National Hockey League today.
Helping the NHL to create an energy plan that emphasizes green initiatives is no easy feat, and the energy industry experts at Constellation have partnered with the NHL to make it all possible.
Constellation is serving as the NHL’s Preferred Energy Provider, and actively assists in advancing responsible and sustainable energy practices across the organization.
