The Montreal Alouettes’ EnvirontmentALS initiative was recently featured on the cover and inside Stadium & Arena Magazine.
See the text from that article below:
Stadiums are taking ‘green‘ seriously
Stadium and arena businesses building new facilities have quickly embraced the idea of ‘green‘ building techniques and subsequent sustainable operations.
But now facilities already up and running are developing green initiatives and seem determined not to miss out on the promised benefits, in cost savings and community leadership.
At the Percival Molson Memorial Stadium, Montreal, Canada (pictured), the Montreal Alouettes have become the first Canadian professional sports team to go carbon-neutral.
The club‘s EnvironmentALS programme outlines how the team will work to reduce its environmental impact.
Stadium Manager Mark Weightman said: “Initially the process of sorting plastics, paper, and trash when cleaning the stands and concourses after games added about 15-20 per cent to our regular labour costs. As the season progressed, however, we became more efficient and found ways to accelerate the process, reducing these additional costs closer to 10 per cent, which is not as bad as we initially had anticipated.
“We are a small organisation with a fairly small venue and a limited number of events per year, so the impact we hope our EnvironmentALS programme will have should not be calculated solely by the amount of materials we avoid sending to landfill, the amount of environmentally friendly products we use, and amount of power or water we save. Rather, it is the influence we can have on our partners, our sponsors, and our fans that could make the biggest difference. If, by educating our fans on the steps we are taking to be more environmentally responsible, we manage to increase awareness of things that they can do in their own home or work environment and motivate individuals to lead more sustainable lives, we will have accomplished our goal.“
In order to neutralise the greenhouse gases generated by their sporting and corporate activities, the Alouettes have purchased carbon offsets from Planetair – the first Canadian provider of Gold Standard carbon offsets, which are the most stringent label currently available.
By going carbon neutral, the club will annually offset 400 tonnes of CO2. This includes the carbon emissions generated by the club‘s administration and stadium operations, team transport, and away-game travel.
At Liberty Stadium in Swansea, Wales, the management has signed an agreement with the Recycling Company to install recycling and waste bins in and around the facility. Andrew Davies, Liberty Stadium‘s General Manager, said: “This important long-term project we are rolling out with the Recycling Company gives all of us at the Liberty Stadium the opportunity to do the right thing for the environment.“
So far the stadium has reduced the amount of bins for collection for landfill from 26 bins per week down to nearly none.“
