What’s In A Name? Spending the Green To Keep It Green!

I bet you wished you thought of it first...but nope, that distinction belongs to Jeff Bezos, Amazon founder and World's Richest Man.

We speak of course of the new name for Seattle's refurbished sports center sitting in the shadow of the Space Needle.

The facility was originally named the Seattle Center Coliseum when it was built for the 1962 World's Fair.  Back in the mid-nineties Key Bank bought the naming rights and it's spent the last quarter of a century known as Key Arena..

What's key to this story about the new home to an NHL franchise and a new/old home to the WNBA Storm, is the fact that a generous application of riches doesn't always guarantee a great name.  Climate Pledge Arena.  Who doesn't get excited about the thought of a visit to the C.P.A., right?  Exactly.

On Instagram, Bezos reminds us of the reason for the name - from his Instagram page-

I’m excited to announce that Amazon has bought the naming rights to the historic Seattle arena previously known as KeyArena. Instead of calling it Amazon Arena, we’re naming it Climate Pledge Arena as a regular reminder of the urgent need for climate action. It will be the first net zero carbon certified arena in the world, generate zero waste from operations and events, and use reclaimed rainwater in the ice system to create the greenest ice in the NHL. #ClimatePledge

In a statement, Greenpeace USA Senior Campaigner Elizabeth Jardim wrote the following:

It's hypocritical to announce that climate change is the biggest threat to our planet while at the same time boosting the fossil fuel industry by providing advanced computing technologies to the oil and gas industry so that it can discover and drill more oil, more efficiently. Amazon also still has work to do to ensure its growing network of data centers fully shifts away from fossil fuels, and the company must transparently report its energy use as Google and  Apple do.

Ouch. What was it Kermit said about being green? Oh, yah, "It's not easy being green"

Oh well, at least the SeattleTimes Editorial Board is on board

"Just when you thought Seattle couldn’t get any more Seattle, the city’s flagship indoor sports venue will be named Climate Pledge Arena..... It’s not as snappy as the previous name,....But Amazon, NHL Seattle and arena operator Oak View Group deserve kudos for their bold and provocative choice... Climate Pledge Arena will be mentioned in all those stories and broadcasts, reminding millions of people of the importance of climate action."

So they have that going for them, but what about the fans?  How will they respond?  Too late!  What's done is done and Jeff didn't ask us.

But come on, can't we do better than that?  Share your thoughts.  Here's a couple of mine.

The Money Pit   Cold Cash Arena   The O-zone   Environmental Events Emporium

Whatcha got?