Could a new Calgary event centre take cues from Seattle’s Climate Pledge Arena?
Posted May 4, 2022 5:04 pm.
Last Updated May 5, 2022 8:21 am.
The wait continues for a new event centre in Calgary.
Although a committee has been appointed with hopes of moving ahead with a deal after an original agreement between the City of Calgary and the Flames fell apart in early 2022, a slew of details need to be ironed out when it comes to an event centre, including climate resiliency.
While the calendar continues to flip with no real progress, would it be possible for Calgary to look elsewhere for inspiration?
Climate Pledge Arena, the home of the Seattle Kraken, is said to be one of the world’s most sustainable facilities.
Getting a closer look at Climate Pledge Arena as the #SeaKraken get ready to host the Colorado Avalanche on #NHLGreen Night. pic.twitter.com/iCmHIBSmJU
— Sandra Prusina (@sprusina) April 21, 2022
It starts with one of the arena’s most unique features, ‘Rain to Rink’, to create ice.
“We are capturing rainwater off of one-quarter of the roof, the northwest corner,” said Rob Johnson, VP of sustainability and transportation for Seattle Kraken and Climate Pledge Arena.
“We’re filtering it through a drainpipe to a 15,000-gallon underground cistern, and that cistern is connected up to our Zamboni room. The Zamboni room, when it needs it, pulls water from that cistern and uses that rainwater for the Zamboni to resurface the ice for home games and practices.
“Because our ice guys like that rainwater so much, we think it’s creating a cleaner sheet for the players to skate around on, which we think gives us a nice competitive advantage.”
The ‘Rain to Rink’ concept means the building is not pulling water from the municipal supply, and to date, the arena has used over 500,000 litres (150,000 gallons) of rainwater.
The facility also boasts all-electric operations powered by 100 per cent renewable electricity from on-site solar panels and off-site renewable energy.
What’s noticeable around Climate Pledge Arena is the lack of parking, and that’s on purpose, because a ticket to a Kraken game also includes a free ride on public transportation.
“For us, it’s had a huge impact. It means in about a neighbourhood of 25 per cent of fans who are coming to home Kraken games are using public transit,” Johnson said.
“We are the first NHL team to offer that subsidy and only the third arena in North America to offer that subsidy.”
WATCH: CityNews’ Sandra Prusina reports on lessons Calgary can learn from Seattle’s Climate Pledge Arena
And the commitment to being green doesn’t take away from the fan’s in-game experience, whether it’s chowing down on a hotdog or enjoying a beer.
“Things like banning single-use plastics inside the building allows us to have more sustainable packaging for our customers and guests to eat and drink out of,” Johnson offered.
Although fans can’t see it, there’s a “sustainability room” on the event level below the seating where waste is sorted.
“On an average hockey game, we are achieving about 80 per cent or so waste diversion right now, which is about ten or 15 per cent lower than our goal. So our goal is to get to about 95 per cent,” Johnson stated.
“On average, we generate about two tonnes of waste per event, about 4,000 pounds — give or take. We’re very proud of that fact, but I also know we’ve got more to do.”
It’s just one of the features of Climate Pledge Arena’s commitment to Net-Zero carbon by 2040, a decade ahead of the Paris Agreement.
“The Seattle Kraken are the first and so far only signatory to the Climate Pledge, so to have an NHL team also committing to the Net Zero by 2040 is amazing,” Kaan Yalkin, a senior manager with the Climate Pledge at Amazon, explained.
“It’s been an incredible year for Climate Pledge Arena. If you think back to almost two years ago when Amazon had announced it had purchased the naming rights, we had a bold and pioneering idea, which was we would name this new arena after a vision and a cause, which is the Climate Pledge, and that it would serve as a regular and long-lasting reminder of the urgency required to tackle the climate crisis. I think it’s exceeded our expectations on so many levels.
“The ethos of the Climate Pledge is that companies and organizations need to take responsibility for the bulk of work in tackling the climate crisis. So often, individuals feel powerless. When individuals feel that way, there’s a sense of doom and gloom or powerlessness. The amazing thing about Climate Pledge Arena is that we’ve taken care of all that for our fans and guests to come in and enjoy a sustainable event experience, and the hard work is taken care of them.”
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Some of these sustainability features in Seattle could provide a “green print” for a new event centre in Calgary, especially since climate resiliency measures were part of the now-scrapped deal between the City and Calgary Sports and Entertainment Corporation.
“I know the City would like those things to be included; I’m sure if it’s not an issue of finances, I’m sure the Flames would love to have those things involved too. So if the third partner comes in and they say, ‘hey, this is really important, let’s do it,’ I think it’s really easy,” Ryan Pike, FlamesNation managing editor, said.
“It’s helpful, especially if you’re involving public funds, from an optics standpoint if you say, ‘look at all the cool stuff we’re doing’ because it shows that you’re planning for the long-term future of your facility.”
The view from Seattle is that Climate Pledge Arena can be a blueprint for other buildings, especially ones that house an NHL team.
“We’d like to think the sustainable elements in the building are inspiring and aren’t necessarily have people leaving despaired about the climate crisis, but inspired to take collective action,” Johnson said.
Coincidentally, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman was in Calgary Tuesday to take in the first game of the opening round playoff series between the Flames and Stars. He reiterated the need for a new building, especially if Calgary wants to host the likes of the NHL draft or all-star festivities. However, he added Flames fans remain passionate as ever, and he is optimistic an arena deal will come to fruition in the near future.
