What we did to achieve this certification:
Decarbonizing an Arena
We are an all-electric arena. This means, no fossil fuel consumption in the arena for daily use.
All of our mechanical systems, heating systems, Zambonis, forklifts, dehumidification, and cooking equipment have been converted to run fully on electric power.
Powered by 100% renewable energy
We are powered by 100% on and off-site renewable energy. What we can’t generate on-site, we look for renewable sources off-site. One of the ways to procure this power is through Renewable Energy Certificates.
Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) are a market-based instrument that certifies the bearer owns one megawatt-hour (MWh) of electricity generated from a renewable energy resource. Once the power provider has fed the energy into the grid, the RECs received can then be sold on the open market as an energy commodity. RECs earned may be sold, for example, to other entities as a credit to offset their emissions.
We purchased our RECs in part from Puget Sound Energy’s Snake River wind farm. These RECs were then retired so they can’t be reused or resold. From 2021 to 2025, we will be powered by 100% renewable energy thanks to RECs like those we’ve purchased from PSE and others.
Starting in 2025, Climate Pledge Arena has committed to being one of the first commercial clients of Seattle City Light’s Renewable Plus Program. Targeting to be online in 2025, the Renewable Plus program will stand up brand new wind and solar farms. It will offer the energy generated by those new renewable sources to clients like Climate Pledge Arena.
Nature-Based Carbon Offsets
Nature-based carbon offsets allow individuals, companies, and governments to offset their carbon footprint by investing in projects that remove or reduce carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
We have done a lot to reduce our carbon emissions, but to be carbon zero, we need to take carbon out of the atmosphere equal to what we put in.
To meet and achieve ILFI’s Zero Carbon Certification, Climate Pledge Arena, in partnership with Amazon, has purchased and retired 37,835 metric tons of carbon associated with pre-operational emissions from the building materials necessary to reconstruct the arena.
These offsets were purchased through the Verra Registry Verified Carbon Standard VCU. The VCU was issued in accordance to Verified Carbon Standard protocols.
Before entry to the arena, fans can optionally save their tickets to their Apple Wallet or Google Pay.
What is ILFI
The International Living Future Institute is an environmental NGO committed to catalyzing the transformation toward communities that are socially just, culturally rich and ecologically restorative.
The Institute is premised on the belief that providing a compelling vision for the future is a fundamental requirement for reconciling humanity’s relationship with the natural world. The Institute operates the Living Building Challenge, the world’s most advanced, holistic performance standard for buildings.
The ILFI Zero Carbon Certification goes above and beyond most green building certifications by requiring buildings to account for and offset the carbon emissions associated with construction.
It is a hub for many other visionary programs that support the transformation toward a living future.
On-Site Renewable Energy
We have installed solar panels on the roof of the Alaska Airlines Atrium as well as cantilevered a second array of solar panels on the roof of our 1st Ave N. Garage.
Both arrays combined equates to more than 1,300 on-site solar panels generating an average of around 440,000 kwh annually.
We are currently prohibited from installing solar panels on our roof due to it being a nationally registered historic landmark.
Embodied carbon
Embodied carbon is the term for carbon emissions associated with materials and initial construction of the building and any other infrastructure added throughout the whole lifecycle of a building.
It includes any C02 created during the manufacturing of building materials (material extraction, transport to manufacture, manufacturing), and the transport of those materials to the job site.
Thanks to the preservation of our 44 million pound historic roof, Climate Pledge Arena has one of the lowest estimated embodied carbon figures of buildings our size.
Carbon Accounting
Since opening, we’ve been tracking all elements of Climate Pledge Arena’s environmental footprint. This includes not only arena utilities (energy, water, waste, solar), but all Scope 1, 2, 3 emissions associated with the building’s operations. We actively work to reduce emissions year over year.What emissions we can’t reduce, we offset using credible nature based solutions.
Carbon Verification
Climate Pledge Arena will continue to track, measure, verify, and offset all Scope 1, 2, 3 emissions annually.
Year 1 carbon verification has been supported by two third party companies:
We will continue to report annually on all the arena’s carbon emissions.
