Thirsty fans of the Chicago Bulls and Blackhawks will notice a big change at the United Center this season.
Chicago-based Culligan is marking one year of its sustainability partnership with the United Center this October in a special way.
“We have replaced all single-use plastic bottled waters with aluminum,” said Al Hamood, the Chief Financial Administration officer at Culligan.
In addition to infinitely recyclable aluminum cans, Culligan installed sparkling and still-water taps in guest suites, refillable bottle stations throughout the concourse, and dozens of recycling bins all around the iconic arena.
“We have a huge footprint. We bring millions of folks through the door. We have the ability to make a small impact in our building, but a broader impact in our community from a sustainability standpoint,” said Joe Myhra, the Chief Operating Officer for the United Center.
According to Culligan, in its one-year partnership, they have “preserved 2,034 cubic feet of landfill space, the volume of 65,000 stacked hockey pucks; diverted 15,000+ pounds of material, equal to the entire Bulls roster’s weight 75 times over; and collected 527,240 cans, enough to wrap around the United Center 40 times.”
“We always look to positively influence our fan base, (and) provide them different opportunities to realize their impact on the community from a sustainability standpoint,” said Myhra. “We had a lot of success year one and look for more success in the future.”
Now in year two, Hamood says the campaign will focus on increasing awareness of the different offerings within the arena. As a result, fans can expect to see more signage and information about safe drinking water and recycling inside the UC.
The Blackhawks’ first home game of the season will take place Saturday when they welcome the Montreal Canadiens to the United Center. The Bulls’ first regular season game will arrive on October 22 when they take on the Detroit Pistons.