Problems With Pond Hockey

I’m not one to really think much about the environment.  I’m not going around actively trashing it, don’t get me wrong, but I’m not one of those ecogeeks, I do what I can but some habits I can’t break.  This might have to change after reading an article on SportsNet.ca

In order to skate on ice safely outside, you need at least 3 days in a row where temperatures do not exceed -5C (23F for those of you who don’t know celsius) but it seems large portions of Canada is struggling to have that consistency.

And one of the provinces having the most trouble?  Alberta.

According to this graphic, Alberta is second in green house gas increase (GHG), coming in after Saskatchewan.  The only province that managed to reduce their GHG in the 18 year span of this graphic?  Quebec.  Every other province and territory saw an increase in GHG over 18 years.  That’s a lot of potential warming.

So what does this mean for pond hockey?  How much longer until the weather won’t be consistently cold enough to keep the ice going all winter long?  How long until the sport of hockey is only played in arenas?

Damon Matthews who helped on the study SportsNet used, had this to say:

"Outdoor skating, particularly hockey, is synonymous with Canadian culture. I think there’s big cultural ramification to this as well."

So much of the Canadian identity is in hockey, to lose that aspect of the sport will be devastating to the culture.  The best bet for preserving this aspect of Canadian culture? Reducing GHG.  It’s a simple step to make sure future generations know what a good game of shinny looks like.

Reducing your ecological impact does take effort, but it’s not impossible.  You don’t have to run out and buy a fixie bike and dumpster dive (however if you chose to, more power to ya, but I can’t do that) but you can do little things:

• Buy locally.  That means learning what’s in season and what’s not. Markets bring in produce from all over the world when it’s out of season, buying something only in season will reduce the shipping sizes.
• Filling your dish washer and washing machine completely before running them.  That extra dish or tee shirt will really add up in the long run.
• Unplug things you don’t use often. Done charging your phone?  Unplug it from the outlet.  Use the blender only for breakfast?  Unplug it for the rest of the day.  Rarely use that XBox?  You know the drill, unplug it.
• Buy higher quality products.  Yes, it’s an investment but the longer it lasts, the less likely you are to throw it out.  Not throwing it out means keeping the landfills down.

Those are a few small things you can do (right now!) to help keep pond hockey alive!  Hop to it, mister!

Go Flames Go!