Seattle’s NHL team is coming in 2021 and while the team doesn’t have a nickname, their arena has a new name. The old KeyArena is being renovated for the new Seattle team as well as the WNBA’s Storm and it was revealed that Amazon bought the naming rights to the arena.
Even though Amazon bought the naming rights, it’s not going to be called “Amazon Arena.” In fact, given the environmental efforts within the new arena, it’ll be called “Climate Pledge Arena.”
Some environmental features include the following:
Ice for hockey games will be made from re-captured rainwater. [CEO Tim] Lewieke says there will be a “massive tank hidden underground next to the building” which can collect rainwater from the roof, but the team is also figuring out a way for people in the community to bring in rainwater from their own backyards.
All events will be “zero waste” — a decision, Lewieke said, that was inspired by singer Billie Eilish. Leiweke said a few months ago as Eilish planned her latest tour, she asked every arena to eliminate as much single-waste plastic as possible. “I was like, I can’t believe she got an entire syndication of arenas to come along and finally address this issue,” Leiweke said. “I was so in awe that she made this part of the deal. When we were debating this, I said if she could do it for a night, couldn’t we do this for 365 nights?”
At least 75% of the arena’s food program will be sourced seasonally by local farmers and producers. Viable unused food will be donated to community food programs.
The arena will have all-electric operations. Carbon emissions and sustainability performance of all events will be measured and publicly disclosed.
It’s rare that a company buys the naming rights for an arena and instead makes it about a cause like fighting climate change and helping the environment but that’s what Amazon has done. Now we await the new NHL team name.
[ESPN/Photo: Steve Ringman/The Seattle Times]
