GSB News & Notes spans the globe to bring you the constant variety of Green-Sports: Boston University’s men’s and women’s hockey teams are powerhouses. Off the ice, thanks to a partnership with utility Eversource, BU hockey is saving power at Agganis Arena. Adidas reached a major Green-Sports milestone by selling its one millionth pair of shoes made from recycled plastic ocean waste. And a soccer-loving environmentalist in South Africa shows how one man can make a difference. 

COLLEGE HOCKEY POWERHOUSE BOSTON UNIVERSITY SAVES POWER IN PARTNERSHIP WITH EVERSOURCE

Boston University is a collegiate sports rarity in that neither football nor basketball are king. That honor goes to hockey as the Terriers, both men and women, are a true powerhouse.

The men’s program has won five national championships and appeared in 22 Frozen Fours since 1950. The relatively young women’s program, only in its 10th year of Division I play, is still looking for its first national title but they have advanced to two Frozen Fours. And now, its home rink, the sparkling 7,200-seat Agganis Arena, is becoming a green-sports power by using significantly less of it.

And that makes BU MBA and lifelong Boston sports fan Jeff Pollock very happy.
You see, Pollock leads marketing, product management and development for Eversource, the utility company that serves the Boston area and 50 percent of Massachusetts overall, as well as 50 percent of New Hampshire and more than 70 percent of Connecticut. Developing and implementing innovative energy efficiency programs is a big priority for Eversource; marketing those programs is the responsibility of Pollock and his team.

Colleges and universities are ideal energy efficiency customers for Eversource since they are very big and high-profile energy users. BU, the largest landowner in Boston, has a major impact on local real estate. And men’s and women’s hockey is about as high profile as it gets in the BU universe.

Since 2014, Eversource and BU have had a strategic agreement which takes a holistic approach to deliver the most energy savings to the university and help achieve its Climate Action Plan goals to reach zero carbon emissions by 2040. The project at Agganis Arena is an important part of that effort.

“We see athletics as a huge opportunity for carbon emissions reductions and cost savings, with lighting, heating and cooling being the prime levers,” said Pollock.
At Agganis Arena, a lighting upgrade from fluorescents to longer-lasting, efficient LED’s resulted in a 65 percent reduction in electricity usage. The quality of light improved, exceeding NCAA standards, making it easier for players and fans to see the puck. And the lighting retrofit went beyond just the bulbs. “We outfitted Agganis with a state-of-the-art lighting control system that can be managed remotely,” noted Pollack.

I think these are good first steps — steps that many greening sports venues have taken. And, though BU actively promotes its green efforts through its Sustainability@BU website and social media channels, the university, with Eversource’s support, can do more.

A strong next step would be to tell its greening story directly to fans at Agganis Arena — engaging them to take similar environmental actions at home — via scoreboard messaging and other signage.

Beyond BU, Eversource has done energy efficiency work at Fenway Park and has also worked with the University of Connecticut on energy-saving improvements at Gampel Pavilion, the home of women’s and men’s basketball. In addition to an LED lighting system, the upgrade included the installation of variable-frequency drives (VFDs) to regulate air handlers and the replacement of the original chillers and cooling towers with modern equipment for more efficient heating and cooling.

ADIDAS REACHES A MAJOR MILESTONE: ONE MILLION SHOES SOLD MADE FROM RECYCLED PLASTIC OCEAN WASTE

In a recent appearance on CNBC, adidas CEO Kasper Rorsted — discussing where the global sportswear company decides to invest its money — when he casually mentioned that “we last year sold one million shoes made out of ocean plastic”.
The astonishing figure was achieved through its partnership with Parley for the Oceans, a nonprofit which works to reduce plastic ocean waste and, in the process, protect ocean wildlife.

It is estimated that each adidas UltraBOOST Parley sneaker reuses 11 plastic bottles. Each shoe’s “upper” (the part that goes over the top of the foot) is made from five percent recycled polyester and 95 percent waste plastic (plastic bottles, containers, etc.) dredged from the ocean around the Maldives, an archipelago that is existentially threatened by climate change off the southern coast of India. Most of the rest of the sneaker — including the heel, lining, and laces — is also made from recycled material. 

Adidas UltraBOOST Parley sneakers, made from 95 percent ocean waste. (Photo credit: adidas)

The partnership with Parley for the Oceans is a powerful example of adidas’ commitment to sustainability. “That’s where we invest money – companies that have the technology that we need, companies that have materials that are unique,” shared Mr Rorsted during the CNBC interview. “We are investing much more in [partners] that make a step forward in sustainability, or makes the manufacturing process much more sophisticated”.

SOCCER INSPIRES ENVIRONMENTALISM IN RURAL SOUTH AFRICA

Is it true that “one person can make a difference” on vast, global issues like conservation and pollution? A lone environmentalist in a remote part of South Africa is working to prove the truth of this adage by using sports to educate young people about sustainable practices.

Raymond Langa, living near St Lucia on the country’s east coast, was so concerned with the environmental problems in his community that he decided to take matters into his own hands.

“I am always frustrated by the environmental degradation activities taking place in areas of significance for conservation,” said Mr. Langa to the Zululand Observer. “My area has many wetlands with an abundance of wildlife, seasonal birds and waterfowl. I have identified one area which is very significant to the entire village, but households living next to it dump all types of filth into it”.

Raymond Langa (Photo credit: iSimangaliso.com)

So Mr. Langa teamed up with the iSimangaliso Wetland Park to teach local young people about the importance of sustainability and environmental protection. The park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, spanning 1,270 square miles — roughly twice the size of London — along the coast. The park is home to a stunning range of biodiversity, including coral reefs, dunes, forests and rare animals, such as the black rhino, African leopard and dolphins.

Langa’s idea was to teach young people about the importance of their spectacular neighborhood and the wildlife in it by hosting a sports event on the grounds of one of the villages bordering the southern section of the World Heritage Site.
The iSimangaliso and Dukuduku Sports Tournament, organized by Langa, featured soccer and netball — an offshoot of basketball — for school children. At the same time, workshops were hosted on conservation, environmental care and sustainable tourism.

In a sign that the initiative was paying immediate dividends, one participant told the Zululand Observer, “I have gained more than I was expecting to from today’s game. I learned the importance of iSimangaliso and why the youth should protect the environment”.

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