VEGAS (March 15, 2024) – The Vegas Golden Knights announced today, March 15, The Knight SHIELD Project. The objective of this new sustainability-focused initiative is to help fortify the realm’s vitality at club owned and operated venues (City National Arena, The Dollar Loan Center, and America First Center) and throughout the region.
SHIELD is an acronym that highlights key areas of focus for the program:
Sustainability
Healthy Air
Improve and Inspire
Energy and Water Efficiency
Landscape Protection
Decrease Waste Generation
“Since the inception of the Vegas Golden Knights, our organization has strived to be Champions both on the ice and in the community,” said Vegas Golden Knights Chief Marketing Officer Eric Tosi. “The Knight SHIELD Project aligns with our core ethos of protecting and defending our realm. The infrastructure and processes we have established will allow us to continually introduce new elements and initiatives to the program as we advance on our journey. This will position us to make an even greater positive impact in both the near term and long term.”
To help set this program up for success, the Golden Knights are collaborating with the Green Operations and Advanced Leadership (GOAL) team. GOAL is an industry leader in sustainability within live events and will be a Knight SHIELD Project advisor on overall strategy, data analysis, and impact. Other GOAL members include Climate Pledge Arena, UBS Arena, and Fenway Sports Group.
Both the Vegas Golden Knights and Henderson Silver Knights have joined the Green Sports Alliance (GSA), a global network of teams, venues, and brands committed to making a positive impact in their respective communities. GSA offers networking opportunities and encourages members to share best practices with one another.
To kick off our sustainability initiatives, a portion of the proceeds from the Golden Knights’ St. Patrick’s Day jersey auction on March 17 will benefit Green Our Planet, a local 501c-3 that trains teachers and helps students engage in STEM learning through school gardens and classroom hydroponics. 93 percent of students who participated in Green Our Planet’s programming in the 2022-23 school year showed an increase in STEM content knowledge, while 83 percent of students had an increase in positive behaviors, STEM engagement, and healthy eating habits. The VGK Foundation has donated over $70,000 to Green Our Planet since the team’s inaugural season.
Additionally, for every VGK save made during the game on March 17, the VGK Foundation will donate $100 to One Tree Planted. These funds will go towards planting and greening efforts within the Golden Knights television territory. One Tree Planted is an environmental nonprofit that makes it simple for anyone to help the environment by planting trees. Since 2014, they have planted 135.5 million trees across 82 countries in North America, Latin America, Asia, Europe, and the Pacific.
Green Our Planet and One Tree Planted are proud to be initial founding community beneficiaries of The Knight SHIELD Project. Additional programs and partnerships for The Knight SHIELD Project will be announced in the coming months.
OTHER RELEVANT CONTRIBUTIONS IN THE SUSTAINABILITY SPACE
To date, the Foley Entertainment Group has made sustainability-focused decisions when constructing and operating our three owned facilities: City National Arena, America First Center, and The Dollar Loan Center. All three facilities utilize Cimco ice machines, which reclaim heat rejected from the ice making process. This reclaimed heat is utilized to generate hot water, including hot water to the locker room showers, reducing the demand for natural gas.
During construction of The Dollar Loan Center specifically, the organization made several intentional choices including:
- Turf was installed on the Sam & Ash Tiltyard to reduce water usage. This process involved removing 175,000 square feet of grass, which was then replaced with Southern – Nevada Water Authority (SNWA) approved landscaping.
- Concrete from the Henderson Pavilion was recycled and used to create the parking lots at The Dollar Loan Center.
- Over 50 percent of light fixtures throughout the building are on time scheduling or motion sensing devices to reduce energy consumption. Directional signage throughout the building is lit by solar power.
- Water saving fixtures installed throughout the venue have reduced water usage by 35.5 percent.
- A sustainability consultant was retained and participated in the project from initial design until final completion.
- The project achieved two Green Globes, which is similar to LEED Silver Certification.
These sustainability efforts follow the robust efforts led by the NHL and its NHL Green initiative. NHL Green started in 2010 by Commissioner Bettman to promote sustainable business practices across the League and its member Clubs and to engage fans around environmental awareness.
ABOUT THE VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS
The Vegas Golden Knights are a National Hockey League franchise owned and operated by Black Knight Sports and Entertainment LLC. Established by Owner and Chairman Bill Foley and his family, the Golden Knights were the most successful expansion franchise in North American professional sports history in 2017-18 and won the Stanley Cup in 2022-23. For the latest news and information on the Golden Knights visit vegasgoldenknights.com and follow the team on Facebook, X, Instagram and TikTok.