Climate Pledge Arena Representation
Source: Amazon
Amazon has bought the naming rights to the downtown Seattle stadium, which will house a new team from the NHL and Seattle Storm from the National Women’s Basketball Association, the company announced Thursday.
The KeyArena will now be renamed the Climate Pledge Arena, referring to Amazon’s ambitious climate plan, which was first introduced by CEO Jeff Bezos last September. The finanacial terms of the contract were not disclosed. An Amazon spokesperson declined to comment.
The 18,100-seat arena will build on the focus of climate engagement on sustainability and carbon neutrality. Amazon said it will be the world’s first certified net zero carbon sand, will generate zero waste from operations and events and will be powered by 100% renewable electricity. It will also use reclaimed rainwater in the ice system to “create the greenest ice in the NHL.”
Climate Pledge Arena Representation
Source: Amazon
“Instead of naming it after Amazon, we call it the Climate Pledge Arena as a regular reminder of the importance of fighting climate change,” Bezos said in a statement, adding that Oak View Group, which is funding the rebuilding of KeyArena, also has joined Amazon’s climate commitment.
Seattle received an expansion of the NHL franchise in 2018. The unnamed team will be the 32nd NHL team and is expected to enter the 2021-2022 season.
As part of the Climate Commitment, Amazon has committed to being carbon neutral by 2040. It has also committed to meeting the goals of the Paris climate agreement by 2040, a decade before the goal of the Paris agreement. President Donald Trump withdrew the United States from the Paris climate agreement in 2017.
Since the plan’s launch, Amazon has announced a number of other green initiatives. Amazon on Tuesday launched a $ 2 billion fund to invest in climate technologies. In addition, Bezos pledged $ 10 billion in February to launch a new Earth Fund to combat climate change, which will award grants to climate-oriented scientists and activists and other organizations.
Amazon has faced mounting pressure from employees to address its environmental impact. At Amazon’s annual shareholders meeting in May 2019, thousands of employees submitted a proposal asking Bezos to develop a comprehensive climate change plan and reduce his carbon footprint. The proposal was based on a letter from employees published in April 2019 that accused Amazon of donating to legislators who delay the weather and urged the company to stop using fossil fuels.
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