NHL, Sterling Planet Mitigate Environmental Impacts of 2012 Cup Playoffs
NHL becomes first professional sports league to join EPA Green Power Partnership
(3BL Media) New York, NY - May 9, 2012 - NHL Green has teamed up with Sterling Planet, the nation's leading retail provider of environmental assets for corporate, utility and government clients, to mitigate the environmental impact of the 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Sterling Planet will supply the NHL with all environmental assets needed for the League to counterbalance the estimated carbon emissions resulting from arena electricity consumption during all Playoff games and team air travel throughout the Playoffs, based on conservative projections of the expected carbon footprint associated with the 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Accordingly, Sterling Planet will provide the NHL with 9.8 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) in the form of Green-e® Energy certified renewable energy certificates (RECs) from U.S. wind projects and 97 metric tons of verified emission reductions -- also known as carbon offsets -- from projects authenticated by the Verified Carbon Standard or the Climate Action Reserve, independent accounting programs which validate, measure, monitor and ensure the environmental benefit of the carbon offset projects.
Additionally, 100% of the League's estimated 2012 electricity usage at its New York City headquarters, estimated at 1.5 million kWh, will be counterbalanced through this initiative.
The RECs and carbon offsets together will create a benefit of more than 15 million pounds (6,854 metric tons) of avoided emissions of carbon dioxide. The environmental benefit compares to taking approximately 1,310 cars off U.S. roads for a year.
"The National Hockey League already is doing its part for water conservation and restoration. Now, the NHL is shrinking its carbon footprint," said Mel Jones, Sterling Planet president and chief executive officer. "The NHL is going the extra distance with this most recent commitment to sustainability, this time to cleaner renewable energy from U.S. wind projects."
Through this acquisition of RECs and carbon offsets, the NHL will become the first professional sports league to join the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Green Power Partnership, a voluntary program that encourages organizations to buy green power as a way to reduce the environmental impacts associated with purchased electricity use.
"EPA is excited to welcome the NHL as a Green Power Partner and applauds the League's use of renewable electricity," said Blaine Collison, Director of EPA's Green Power Partnership. "The NHL is enhancing its environmental performance by reducing its carbon footprint and is serving as an example for other sports organizations to follow."
Sterling Planet is the nation's leading retail provider of renewable energy and other environmental assets. Founded in 2000, Sterling Planet has delivered billions of renewable energy kilowatt-hours in both voluntary and mandated markets, working to improve lives today, while sustaining the planet for future generations.
