NHL Going Green with the 2011 All-Star Game

NEW YORK (January 25, 2011) — While the most talented hockey players in the world are thrilling fans on the ice, the National Hockey League, the Carolina Hurricanes and the RBC Center will ensure that the 2011 NHL All-Star Weekend festivities are conducted in ways that protect the planet.

 

As part of its multi-faceted sustainability initiative NHL Green, the National Hockey League will partner with the host Hurricanes, the City of Raleigh, the Natural Resources Defense Council, Rock and Wrap It Up! and North Carolina State University to minimize the environmental impact from the various All-Star Weekend festivities Jan. 28-30.

 

Among the endeavors:

 

The RBC Center, host venue for the 2011 NHL All-Star Game, will maintain its usual diligence in being environmentally friendly. The arena’s 150 recycling bins, which annually divert up to 40 tons of waste from landfills, will help sort all plastic, glass and aluminum waste generated from concession sales. Outside the arena, tailgate recycling will be coordinated by the NHL, Carolina Hurricanes and 86it, a division of Wake County Environmental Services.

 

At the All-Star Wide Open Street Fair on Friday and Saturday, corporate sponsor Honda and fellow RBC Center resident North Carolina State University will display their recent efforts to go green at separate sustainability booths. A third booth houses Raleigh’s own Scrap Exchange, which features fan participation in making arts and crafts entirely from recycled materials.

 

Through coordination between Gale Force Sports & Entertainment and the Inter-Faith Food Shuttle, all prepared but unsold concession food during All-Star Weekend will be redistributed within local communities as part of the NHL’s league-wide partnership with Rock & Wrap It Up! To date, NHL clubs and RWU have provided more than 75,000 meals while keeping over 50 tons of waste from reaching landfills.

 

As it did during the 2010 Stanley Cup Final and the 2011 NHL Winter Classic, the NHL will replace plastic bags with reusable commemorative bags at several official merchandise locations throughout the Raleigh area.

 

The NHL will purchase carbon offsets for the weekend’s energy usage at the RBC Center through the Bonneville Environmental Foundation. All of the purchased renewable resources meet rigorous environmental criteria developed by leading environmental organizations, including The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC).

 

The NHL also has chosen as its headquarters hotel the Raleigh Marriott City Center, which has developed a strong partnership with the Raleigh Rescue Mission. Throughout the past year, the hotel’s team members have participated in numerous events which supported the agency’s efforts to improve the lives of families and individuals and to protect the environment through the donation of hotel accommodations, toiletries, boxed lunches, packaged food and clothing.