The Buffalo Sabres are sticking to their game plan – and taking their green initiative to new heights this season.

After making the team’s media guide available exclusively in a DVD format last year – effectively saving two million sheets of paper annually – the Sabres continued their paper consumption assessment, this time focusing on game notes.

The Sabres’ game notes ran upwards of 80 pages just two years ago. Following some evaluation in the public relations department, the stat pages have since been condensed significantly - running approximately 30 pages.

“It was a long process, but by simply changing the program we used and the format of the guides, we were able to save money and help the environment” Manager of Publications and Hockey Information Kevin Snow said. “As an organization, we also encourage the media to go online and download our full-length media guides and game notes to cut down on paper consumption as well.”

The organization’s most recent initiative began this summer when the boards in the HSBC Arena were changed to accommodate better viewing areas for fans. Rather than throw out the old boards, the staff elected to reuse them for a better cause. Sabres forward Patrick Kaleta and his HITS Foundation received the used ones from for their new multisport complex to be built in Springville this coming year.

“Dasherboard frames today are made mainly of aluminum, which could be recycled” Director of Arena Operations Stan Makowski said. “In the case of Patrick Kaleta and his foundation, we were more than happy that the boards could be re-used.”

HITS, which stands for Helping Individuals To Smile is the first foundation for the Sabres forward and his family, and seeks to help underprivileged kids play sports in their hometowns. The old boards that the HITS Foundation are to receive will need to be slightly refurbished, but are no less safe than new boards.

The Sabres organization and its players are advancing the idea that hockey can be an environmentally friendly sport - by simply refurbishing old boards for new complexes, changing paper consumption, and modifying energy and fuel consumption.

Efforts to go green within the Sabres organization began during their 2007-2008 season in which the Sabres first launched their Blue & Gold Makes Green Initiative. Fans were encouraged to recycle their plastic bottles at the HSBC Arena during both games and special events. The organization placed over 100 receptacles throughout the HSBC Arena, and commercial spots encouraging fans to recycle began airing on the HD Video Board.

The organization also began to conserve energy at the HSBC Arena by switching to a four-day workweek during the summer of 2008. Instead of a typical 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. workweek Monday through Friday, the staff at the HSBC Arena worked an 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. workweek Monday through Thursday from Memorial Day until Labor Day.

For more information on how to Go Green, or tips on staying environmentally friendly, check out the Sabres’ Blue and Gold Make Green Initiative.