{"id":44897,"date":"2021-11-24T07:57:18","date_gmt":"2021-11-24T07:57:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/thevoiceoflondon.co.uk\/?p=44897"},"modified":"2021-12-14T02:11:50","modified_gmt":"2021-12-14T02:11:50","slug":"natural-history-museum-say-goodbye-to-the-iconic-ice-skating-rink","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/natural-history-museum-say-goodbye-to-the-iconic-ice-skating-rink\/","title":{"rendered":"Natural History Museum: say goodbye to the iconic ice skating rink"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-group\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:100%\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Voice of London: A found adieu to National History Museum Ice Rink\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/zuYdqnPkOCQ?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<p><strong>The popular <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nhm.ac.uk\/visit\/exhibitions\/ice-rink.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">ice-skating rink<\/a> at the Natural History Museum is celebrating its last year as plans for an Urban Nature Project have been unveiled.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>After providing Londoners and tourists with Christmas fun for the past 16 years, the space will now be dedicated to improving the city\u2019s biodiversity.<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nhm.ac.uk\/about-us\/urban-nature-project.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Urban Nature Project<\/a> will cover five acres and offer an accessible green space where people can interact with nature.<\/p>\n<p>But for now, visitors can still enjoy the fun of ice-skating around the beautifully lit rink outside one of London\u2019s most iconic museums.<\/p>\n<p>Check out what people think about the attraction, and their reaction that the skating rink is closing\u2026<\/p>\n<h2>Are ice skating rinks bad for the environment?<\/h2>\n<p>Skating rinks have a large carbon footprint, with lots of energy needed to maintain the cold temperatures to keep ice from melting, says <a href=\"https:\/\/inhabitat.com\/ice-rink-alternatives-and-their-environmental-impact\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">InHabitat<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>According to the <a href=\"https:\/\/inhabitat.com\/ice-rink-alternatives-and-their-environmental-impact\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Environmental Protection Agency<\/a>, the greenhouse gases created by skating rinks is equal to about 110,000 cars on the road each year.<\/p>\n<p>While this includes rinks created for professional sports purposes, the flurry of ice-skating arenas that pops up around Christmas time is not likely to help.<\/p>\n<p>With all the environmental concerns surrounding outdoor skating rinks, it\u2019s likely that this new wildlife project can provide a greener solution to the space outside the museum.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_44913\" style=\"width: 681px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-44913\" class=\" wp-image-44913\" src=\"http:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/64\/2021\/11\/Ice-skating-infographic-1024x1024.png\" alt=\"Environmental effects of ice skating \" width=\"671\" height=\"671\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/64\/2021\/11\/Ice-skating-infographic-1024x1024.png 1024w, https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/64\/2021\/11\/Ice-skating-infographic-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/64\/2021\/11\/Ice-skating-infographic-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/64\/2021\/11\/Ice-skating-infographic-768x768.png 768w, https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/64\/2021\/11\/Ice-skating-infographic.png 1080w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 671px) 100vw, 671px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-44913\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Graphic: Sarah Chaffey. This classic Christmas past time may have an unknown environmental impact.<\/p><\/div>\n<h2>Where shall I go ice skating next year?<\/h2>\n<p>If you still want to celebrate the festive season with ice skating in the coming years, you can check out some of London\u2019s other outdoor rinks.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/search?q=canary+wharf+ice+skating&amp;oq=canary+wharf+ic&amp;aqs=chrome.0.0i20i263i355i512j46i20i175i199i263i512j69i57j0i512l7.3975j0j9&amp;sourceid=chrome&amp;ie=UTF-8\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Canary Wharf<\/a> has a covered skating rink you can enjoy come rain or shine<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/search?q=canary+wharf+ice+skating&amp;oq=canary+wharf+ic&amp;aqs=chrome.0.0i20i263i355i512j46i20i175i199i263i512j69i57j0i512l7.3975j0j9&amp;sourceid=chrome&amp;ie=UTF-8\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Winter Wonderland<\/a> boasts the UK\u2019s largest outdoor skating rink in Hyde Park<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.timeout.com\/london\/attractions\/alexandra-palace-ice-rink\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Alexandra Palace\u2019s rink<\/a> is open year-round and is one of the cheapest in London<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Gizdem Albayrak from Voice of London recently visited Canary Wharf, check out what she got up to\u2026<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"tiktok-embed\" style=\"max-width: 605px;min-width: 325px\" cite=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@voiceoflondon\/video\/7030133361809050885\">\n<section><a title=\"@voiceoflondon\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@voiceoflondon\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">@voiceoflondon<\/a><a title=\"fyp\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/tag\/fyp\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">##fyp<\/a> <a title=\"viral\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/tag\/viral\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">##viral<\/a> <a title=\"thingstodoinlondon\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/tag\/thingstodoinlondon\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">##thingstodoinlondon<\/a> <a title=\"canarywharf\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/tag\/canarywharf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">##canarywharf<\/a><a title=\"\u266c Coming for You (feat. A1 x J1) - SwitchOTR\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/music\/Coming-for-You-feat-A1-x-J1-7017551121669491462\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u266c Coming for You (feat. A1 x J1) &#8211; SwitchOTR<\/a><\/section>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/embed.js\">https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/embed.js<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Looking for other festive things to do in London?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/thevoiceoflondon.co.uk\/let-us-see-the-2021-christmas-lights-in-london\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">London&#8217;s magical 2021 Christmas lights<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Photos, Video and interviews: Catherine Chu | Words and graphic: Sarah Chaffey | TikTok:\u00a0 Gizdem Albayrak | Subbing: Megan Milstead<\/strong><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The popular ice-skating rink at the Natural History Museum is celebrating its last year as plans for an Urban Nature Project have been unveiled. After providing Londoners and tourists with Christmas fun for the past&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":476,"featured_media":45161,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26,27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-44897","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-christmas","category-climate-change"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44897","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/476"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=44897"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44897\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":46581,"href":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44897\/revisions\/46581"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/45161"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=44897"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=44897"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=44897"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}