Climate Confident

Why Ice Rinks Have a Bigger Climate Problem Than You Think


Listen Later

Send me a message

In this episode of *Climate Confident*, I’m joined by Viktor Meier, CEO and co-founder of Glice, a company that's transforming ice sports by creating eco-friendly, zero-energy synthetic ice rinks. We dive into the story behind Glice, exploring how Viktor's early commitment to environmental issues led him on a journey to revolutionise ice skating without the environmental cost of traditional ice rinks.

Viktor shares how Glice was born out of a desire to maintain the joy and accessibility of ice sports while tackling some of the massive energy and water demands typically associated with them. Their solution? High-tech synthetic panels that don’t require refrigeration, eliminating the energy and water waste typical of regular ice. Remarkably, each Glice rink can cut energy use comparable to the needs of thousands of homes, making it a powerful tool for sustainability, and emissions reduction. Viktor explains that the product’s durability and ability to be recycled or repurposed at the end of its life add further to its eco-credentials.

We also discuss the broader implications for ice sports as global warming makes natural ice scarcer, even in traditionally cold regions. From the NHL to local communities and even Hollywood film sets, Glice has found a unique niche in over 100 countries, showing how sustainable innovations can be globally adaptable.

So, if you’re interested in how sustainable innovation can preserve the essence of an activity while slashing its carbon footprint, or simply curious about how synthetic ice works, tune in for an insightful conversation with Viktor. 

Don’t miss it!

Sign up to Climate Confident+ for deep dive analysis of the major climate and energy stories of the day.

Support the show

Podcast subscribers
I'd like to sincerely thank this podcast's amazing subscribers:

  • Anita Krajnc
  • Cecilia Skarupa
  • Ben Gross
  • Jerry Sweeney
  • Andreas Werner
  • Stephen Carroll
  • Roger Arnold

And remember you too can Subscribe to the Podcast  - it is really easy and hugely important as it will enable me to continue to create more excellent Climate Confident episodes like this one, as well as give you access to the entire back catalog of Climate Confident episodes.

Contact
If you have any comments/suggestions or questions for the podcast - get in touch via direct message on LinkedIn

If you liked this show, please don't forget to rate and/or review it. It makes a big difference to help new people discover the show.


...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

Climate ConfidentBy Tom Raftery

  • 5
  • 5
  • 5
  • 5
  • 5

5

25 ratings


More shows like Climate Confident

View all
The Gray Area with Sean Illing by Vox

The Gray Area with Sean Illing

10,747 Listeners

Fareed Zakaria GPS by CNN Podcasts

Fareed Zakaria GPS

3,447 Listeners

The Life Scientific by BBC Radio 4

The Life Scientific

227 Listeners

The Daily by The New York Times

The Daily

113,121 Listeners

Up First from NPR by NPR

Up First from NPR

56,944 Listeners