The Climate pledge arena was opened in Seattle, Washington in 2021 with the goal of setting examples for how large scale buildings can be designed with sustainability in mind. Sponsored by Amazon, they openly acknowledge that climate change is here and it needs to be addressed. In their opening event featuring Coldplay, the floors were equipped so that the kinetic energy from people dancing would generate energy, and had stationary bicycles around the concourse so that guests could generate energy. While energy generated from stationary bikes doesn’t make much of an impact, it does make it so that the guests become more and more conscious of what is required for the stadium to run. According to Tim Meadows, one of the most effective areas to change a system is through information flows. This mindset also plays into the name, which isn’t named after the sponsor in a surprisingly chill move from Amazon. Climate Pledge arena forces each attendee to focus on the issue of a changing climate, and think about the solutions that the arena is demonstrating to show that living sustainability is necessary to a successful future. There are a multitude of features and policies in the Climate pledge, and I believe that some of these can be implemented into the Greenbelt.. Rainwater collection tanks in the arena are able to provide all the water needed for the hockey rink that the Seattle Kraken play on, which is impressive as the average hockey rink takes around 15000 gallons of water to fill. On top of this, there is excess water that can be used as gray water throughout the arena. The greenbelt could implement a similar system as, uniquely, South Carolina allows residential buildings to collect rainwater. This system would both promote sustainability and save Furman money. Another feature of the arena are the 12,500 trees that surround the arena. This reminded me of planting trees on Furman’s campus with the greenbelt residents (including the majestic Dragon Blast), reinstating Furman’s designation as a tree campus. Renewable energy from hydroelectric, geothermal, and solar power the arena. A pledge that they have made is to phase out single use plastic by 2024. I believe that promises like this are important, as it acknowledges the difficulty of the task, but still proves that the organization is committed to stepping up and doing the right thing. This is a core of Sustainability and addressing a changing climate. Changing a system and a culture is incredibly difficult, but work worth doing is never easy.
Similar to the climate pledge arena, the greenbelt is a beacon of sustainable living. The solar panels, the skylights that make it so that less energy has to be used to light the buildings, and the low flow showers. With this in mind, innovation is ever one and done. It is crucial to learn about new technologies that can help us set an even better example and inspire others to live how we live. We can look to other sustainable buildings like the Climate pledge arena to guide us in the future.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/marshallshepherd/2022/06/08/is-climate-pledge-arena-a-sustainability-model-for-venues-going-forward/?sh=28b1be0f7f79