Best Practice: Waste Management Phoenix Open

An interesting example of a sustainable golf event is the Waste Management Phoenix Open. One of the main innovative implementations of the Phoenix Open is solar energy. The solar power is used for the corporate tents and besides that, the traditional litter bins are replaced by the ‘trash compactors’. These compactors are also working on solar energy and are recycling the same amount of waste than five traditional bins. And if this is too much effort, you can also deliver your waste at special recycling kiosks where you receive a discount coupon in return. Also, green behavior is rewarded at the tournament.

Reseach Method and Results

Using questionnaires, interviews and website analyses, the top golf events are analyzed on different sustainability aspects such as waste, energy, water, food, mobility and CSR strategy. The Sustainable Golf Index provides an opportunity for event organizers, sponsors and other stakeholders to compare their event with others. Together with several best practices, all events receive a concrete overview of their sustainability score compared to the best-in-class and quick wins on how to improve. Since 2012 global events on the European Tour are also ranked. The KLM Open was ranked as the most sustainable event on the tour in both 2011 and 2012, showcasing several best practices on sustainability. Check out the full results from 2012 and the first edition in 2011.

Interested?

For further information on sustainability in golf, please visit www.sustainablegolfproject.com or contact Bob Willems via bob.willems@between-us.nl or call +31 (0)76 5222 817.