NHL Hockey Players Initiate Environmentally Friendly Program.

NHL Hockey Players Initiate Environmentally Friendly Program.

This article appeared as part of the March 14, 2008 email newsletter from Inside Hockey. The newsletter is a mix of commentary and analysis. There are typically a number of articles that would interest any hockey fan. The major focus is on covering the NHL, but you will find other levels of hockey covered in an informative way. Go to [email protected] to check out Inside Hockey.

This article got my attention and it serves as a good example of how hockey players, and people connected with the sport in general, see the importance of being good citizens. Boston Bruins Andrew Ference is the player behind this program. There are other league wide programs, and every team has players doing things on the local level in their respective communities. Be sure to check out your team’s website and see what they are doing. You can go to the league websites, such as www.nhl.com or www.echl.com, to find individual team sites.

NHLPA GOES GREEN

This space isn’t typically reserved for political discussions about environmental responsibility, but it’s surely nice to see the NHL’s players take aggressive, proactive steps to set a positive example. This week, the National Hockey League Players’ Association (NHLPA) announced that a stunning 523 members have agreed to “go green” and take action on global warming through the NHLPA Carbon Neutral Challenge, a program initiated by Boston Bruins defenseman Andrew Ference.

The players participating in the program have gone carbon neutral by purchasing high quality, Gold Standard carbon credits to offset the travel emissions associated with playing professional hockey, in a program designed by the David Suzuki Foundation. In measuring each player’s environmental impact, the program included emissions from the following major sources: air travel for away games; road travel for home and away games; and energy used during hotel stays. On average, each player was found to be responsible for 10 tonnes (metric tons) of greenhouse gas emissions.

“As I’ve said before, hockey players have great character and they continue to show it by taking action on such positive initiatives,” Ference said. “This is an exciting step in the right direction.”

Indeed it is. Thanks, Andrew!

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