The NHL is in the midst of its first ever Green Week, and one of the league’s stars is seizing on the environmental message.
Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews talked to For The Win about sustainability, global warming and other issues relating to the environment. Here’s what the three-time All-Star and 2010 Conn Smythe Trophy winner had to say about climate change:
“It’s sad that it’s still a debate in this country. It’s mind-blowing in a lot of ways. If we can start having the conversation, at least make people more aware of what’s going on. We live in an age of information. People want to know, and it’s right in front of them. You have access to the information, and once you get that going, people will demand change,” Toews said.
Toews also explained how he came to be interested in environmentalism while growing up in Winnipeg.
“I started to learn where my food comes from, and one thing led to another, and I grew passionate about learning about environmental changes and climate change and the energy that we use, food and water consumption,” Toews told For the Win. “Sometimes, I think we live in a world where we’re so disconnected with that. We don’t really realize, we don’t see it first hand, we don’t feel the aftermath of our lifestyle.”
This is not Toews’ first expression of his feelings on the need to address environmental issues, from speaking to the Sierra Club to tweeting his support for Leonardo DiCaprio’s pro-environment message at the Academy Awards last month.
Love how @LeoDiCaprio took the opportunity in the biggest moment of his career to convey his message. #climatechangeisreal
— Jonathan Toews (@JonathanToews) February 29, 2016
The NHL seems pretty serious about Green Week. Over the course of the week, the league will counterbalance all greenhouse gas emissions through investments in wind power and methane gas capture from landfills and also restore 7.5 million gallons of water to the Colorado River.
The NHL is probably better equipped to take on environmental issues than other leagues, given the number of hockey fans who live in Canada, where everyone seems to be a bit more environmentally conscious. And for Gary Bettman and company, it certainly doesn’t hurt to have a player with as big a profile as Toews so enthusiastically onboard.
