London, ON - This summer, Western Sports & Recreation, home of the Western Mustangs, purchased a new eco-friendly ice re-surfacer for the ice rink located on campus in the Thompson Recreation Athletic Centre (TRAC).
Brett Butchart, Facilities Manager for Western Sports and Recreation shared some insight on the importance of this addition, and the goal of being able to transition all equipment to more sustainable options.
"For the Western Mustangs sustainability and reducing our ecological footprint through our equipment and facilities is highly important". Butchart said. He also added that the team works hard to "ensure that the importance of sustainability and the goals of the Sports & Recreation Strategic Plan: Game Plan 2028 are incorporated into all Western Mustangs facilities". The newest piece of that plan, the eco-friendly ice re-surfacer for Thompson Arena, arrived this summer, just in time for the new 2025-26 school year.
Butchart stated that this new equipment "reduces emissions in the arena making it a safer place for everyone". Knowing the difference this eco-friendly alternative can make on the facilities and spaces Western students are using was motivation enough for the Mustangs to begin the transition. However, not only does it reduce emissions, but Butchart emphasizes its other benefits as well. "We will end up with better ice quality, where the surface is more level and more consistent, which will benefit not only our varsity teams, but also clubs and individual student users". Not only is the new ice re-surfacer eco-friendly, but it has also been customized to be Western purple, and it came with a cool name - the ice wolf. This project was partially funded through the Western sustainability impact fund.
Having sustainability and consistency across the board for facilities equipment is a goal for Butchart, and incorporating electric equipment is one of the ways to do this. Some other equipment that is currently being added to the area include an electronic utility cart as well as electric vehicles on campus. All of which will allow Western to limit its natural gas usage.
In addition to being a priority for Western Sports & Recreation, sustainability is a high priority for Western University, as noted in the Towards Western at 150: Western University's Strategic Plan. One of the main strategic priorities: Western's Place in the World, includes a clear goal of sustainability, an imperative. Western Sports & Recreation and the Western Mustangs are aligned with working towards achieving that goal. And Butchart said that "while sustainability often comes with a higher price tag, in the long-term it will ultimately cost less to run on a day-to-day basis".
