SUSTAINABILITY
MAKING IT GREEN
Investing in environmentally friendly practices not only reduces energy costs in the long term, it will also offer venues an additional selling point when trying to attract increasingly environmentally-savvy fans. We look at some examples of sustainable sports design and operations.
US OPEN TENNIS TOURNAMENT "Our courts may be blue, but we're thinking green." That's the environmental pledge of the United States Tennis Association (USTA), the national governing body for tennis, which hosts the US Open at The Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York. A grand venue for a Grand Slam, the complex has been home for the US Open every September since 1978 and houses a total of 22 tennis courts inside its 46.5 acres. The green thinking pledge was
formulated in 2008 as part of USTA's efforts to implement more environmentally-sound practices at the US Open. There were two key issues behind the push for sustainability – the need to match spectators' increasing expectations to see green initiatives in practice and cutting the burgeoning energy costs. Since its launch, the Green Initiative
has resulted in more than 850 tons of waste being diverted through recycling and composting; saved more than 1,100 tons of greenhouse gas emissions; offset enough electricity to power 600 homes for one year; recycled almost 1.5 million
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plastic bottles; and delivered a campaign to reduce private transport so that most of the fans now arrive using public transport. As well as the partnership with the
All waste is categorised across the venue US Open's paper trail
• The 2.4m napkins in the general concession area are comprised of 100 per cent recycled material
• All printed materials are composed of at least 30 per cent recycled materia
• US Open tickets are printed on paper comprised of 30 per cent post- consumer waste, and parking books, parking visors and coupon books are printed on paper comprised of 10-15 percent post-consumer waste
• The paper towel dispensers located throughout the US Open venues have been replaced with energy-saving motion-sensor dispensers
US' Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), USTA has teamed up with other organisations as part of its green strategy. In 2012, it joined the Green Sports Alliance, an organization of sports teams, venues and leagues aimed at enhancing environmental evolution of professional and collegiate sports. Gordon Smith, USTA executive
director and chief operating officer, said: "Our commitment to reducing the environmental impact is an important endeavor and we are continually seeking ways to enhance our greening efforts. With comprehensive ecological programme that we've established at the US Open, we hope to foster environmental progress and inspire fans to create a positive change.” The tennis legend whose name the
stadium carries is an enthusiastic supporter of the Green Initiative. "To solve the serious environmental problems facing our planet, we need to shift our culture
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