Amazon will rename a Seattle sports stadium the Climate Pledge Arena, partnering with NHL Seattle and the Oak View Group to build the world’s first zero-carbon arena.
Jeff Bezos, Amazon’s CEO, announced the tech giant had bought the naming rights to the old KeyArena in an Instagram post Thursday. “Instead of calling it Amazon Arena, we’re naming it Climate Pledge Arena as a regular reminder of the urgent need for climate action,” he said.
The new arena will run on all-electric appliances and heating, including the first all-electric dehumidification systems in the National Hockey League, according to a news release. It will also be fully powered by on- and off-site solar energy.
In addition, the arena promises to produce zero waste — no trash cans will be available to fans, only recycling and composting — and to use reclaimed rainwater for its ice, what Bezos says will be the “greenest ice in the NHL.”
Offsets will also be purchased to cover emissions from travel by fans and performers to the stadium, the news release says.
NHL Seattle and the Oak View Group will also make annual contributions to Amazon’s Climate Pledge initiative, which pushes companies to meet zero-carbon goals by 2040.
Once renovations are completed, the stadium will house Seattle’s yet-to-be-named expansion team joining the NHL in the 2021-2022 season.
