The Knight SHIELD is a sustainability-focused initiative intended to fortify our Realm's vitality at Foley Entertainment Group's owned and operated properties (City National Arena, Lee's Family Forum, and America First Center) and throughout our region.
Organizationally, the Vegas Golden Knights strive to be Champions on the ice and Champions in the Community.
SHIELD is an acronym that highlights key areas of focus for this initiative.
Industry Advisors
To ensure we’re bettering ourselves, the Foley Entertainment Group has collaborated with the Green Operations and Advanced Leadership (GOAL) team. GOAL is an industry leader in the sustainability space and will be a Knight SHIELD Project advisor on overall strategy, data analysis, and impact.
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 positive impact in their respective communities. GSA offers networking opportunities and encourages members to share best practices with one another.
Founding Community Beneficiaries
Green Our Planet and One Tree Planted are proud to be founding community beneficiaries of the Knight SHIELD Project.
Green Our Planet is 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.
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. The VGK Foundation has donated over $70,000 to One Tree Planted since the team’s inaugural season.
Venues
The facility uses Cimco ice machines, which reclaim and reuse heat rejected from the ice making process. This reduces the gas usage for generating hot water, including water to the locker room showers.
The building also houses water stations in rink and locker room areas, encouraging all to use refillable water bottles.
Building an efficient arena was a priority when designing Lee's Family Forum. Prioritized initiatives included:
Cimco ice machines were installed.
Turf was placed on the plaza in order to reduce water usage - as part of this, 175,000 square feet of grass was removed and replaced with drought resistant SNWA approved landscaping.
The parking lots are completely recycled from the old pavilion.
Over 50% of light fixtures in the building are on time scheduling devices or motion-sensing devices to reduce energy consumption. Solar-powered lighting is used for the directional signage around the building.
Through water-saving fixtures, reduced water usage by 35.5%.
A sustainability consultant was retained and participated in the project from initial design until final completion.
The project achieved two Green Globes, (akin to LEED Silver Certification).
Refillable water bottle stations can be found throughout the venue, reducing the need for single-use water bottles.
The building utilizes Cimco ice machines
Usage of refillable water bottles is encouraged with hydration stations throughout the facility.