Sustainable hardware. Image: Eamon Devlin
The Toronto Maple Leafs soundly beat the Pittsburgh Penguins in the remaining semi-final challenge of Echo’s Eco Cup.
That sets up their finals match with the Minnesota Wild to determine which Great Lakes region hockey team is the most sustainable.
Will the Wild’s wind-power purchases and electric car charging stations outweigh the Leafs’ use of Lake Ontario to cool their arena? Vote below or make your case in the comments.
Here’s the rundown from the teams’ sustainability reports:
- Minnesota offset electricity used during home games for the entire 2011-2012 season with wind-power purchases. The team has also installed bike racks to allow staff and fans to bike to the arena. Staff receive bus vouchers and access to charging stations for electric cars. Within three years the Wild reduced emissions of carbon compounds by 7,100 metric tons. Composting initiatives are under way and team officials hope to halve trash and increase recycling by more than 50 percent. The arena is certified by the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program, better know an as LEED.
- The Leafs are home to one of the more unique ways to become sustainable. Their arena is cooled by a “deep-lake water cooling” system that uses cold water from Lake Ontario. Additionally it uses a system similar to an anaerobic digester that turns food waste into water. The system has helped the Maple Leafs reduce waste by more than 74 percent since 2007. They also have a high tech cleaning system that turns tap water into an extremely effective cleaning solution, that doesn’t require as many harsh chemicals. In three years the Leafs reduced emissions of carbon compounds by 34 percent and waste by 48 percent.
Tournament background here.
Which team will become Eco Cup champions?