Amazon purchased the naming rights for Key Arena in Seattle but did not put its own name on the currently-under-renovation venue. Instead, it’s now called the Climate Pledge Arena.
The arena will be home to the upcoming expansion of the NHL franchise, which plans to begin play in the 2021-22 season, as well as the WNBA’s Storm, which have been playing in the venue since the team’s inception in 2000.
“We’ve secured naming rights to the historic arena previously known as KeyArena. Instead of naming it after Amazon, we’re calling it Climate Pledge Arena as a regular reminder of the importance of fighting climate change,” said Jeff Bezos, Amazon founder and CEO. “We look forward to working together with Oak View Group, a new Climate Pledge signatory, and NHL Seattle to inspire global climate action.”
Climate Pledge Arena is expected to be the first zero-carbon arena in the world, powered exclusively by renewable energy including both on-site and off-site solar. Most stadiums use natural gas. The arena will be exclusively electric during daily operations, eliminating all fossil fuels from the building and installing the first all-electric dehumidification systems in the NHL.
“Our goal is to make sure every visit to this arena will be enjoyable and memorable, and sustainability is a large part of that,” said Tim Leiweke, CEO of Oak View Group and leader of the arena project. “It is not just about one arena, it’s the platform. We challenge music, facilities, concert tours and sports. It is our time to step up to face the challenge of our generation. We must take steps to build arenas and stadiums that front-and-center align with our zero-carbon mission statement.”
The arena first opened in 1962 and was the longtime home of the NBA’s Supersonics, before the team relocated to Oklahoma City.
