VIDEO: LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR SUSTAINABILITY JOURNEY

Saint Paul Mayor Chris Coleman and the Saint Paul City Council announced today Saint Paul RiverCentre and Xcel Energy Center, home of the National Hockey League's (NHL) Minnesota Wild, have been awarded the 2015 Sustainable Saint Paul Green Practices Award honoring individuals, businesses and organizations that develop or use innovative practices that reduce toxicity, prevent pollution and lower environmental impact overall.

The Sustainable Saint Paul Awards pay tribute to individuals, businesses and organizations that have demonstrated a commitment to environmental stewardship through leadership in their respective categories.

Saint Paul RiverCentre, Xcel Energy Center and The Legendary Roy Wilkins Auditorium have been working for almost six years to be leaders in sustainability. During that time, the venues have transformed waste operations from 15 percent annual recycling to 60 percent, worked with the City of Saint Paul and other partners to install two solar energy arrays at the complex, upgraded over 2,000 lights to more efficient technology, and implemented a comprehensive green purchasing program for items like custodial products, office paper and even capital purchases.

In 2014, the Saint Paul RiverCentre/Xcel Energy Center complex achieved three independent sustainability certifications: LEED - Existing Buildings, Green Globes and APEX/ASTM, making the complex the first venue in the world to receive these three certifications.

Together, these certifications signify that the venues have a high-performance operation that actively works to minimize its environmental impact.