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The Waste Management Phoenix Open stands out on many levels. No tournament on the PGA tour
draws more fans with attendance levels exceeding 500,000. No tournament draws more passionate
fans. Nowhere is that more evident than on "sixteen," the most famous stadium-hole in
golf. And enthusiasm isn't limited to spectators either. The pros get in the act too, fully
embracing the unique atmosphere. "Well PGA tour pros know when they come to the TPC Scottsdale
for the Waste Management Phoenix Open, that it's a different event. It's got a lot of
energy; the largest crowds on the PGA tour are here in Scottsdale. It's spectacular energy
and we provide it. There's a bigger story at play here too. It's a sustainability story.
Perhaps best expressed by the simple and powerful goal to send all waste generated at the tournament
to a recycling or composting facility. And that's where Waste Management comes in, extending
the mission of the tournament by engaging every fan, meeting with every vendor, training
a thousand volunteer recycling ambassadors and putting the plan into play to set a new
standard for sustainability. In 2012 more than 97% of the tournament waste was diverted
- the most ever for a sporting event. That left one logical goal for 2013 -- 100% diversion.
"The green initiative and the zero-waste challenge plays a massive role in everything we do at
the Waste Management Phoenix Open. Waste Management has done a phenomenal job of teaching us and
the entire event 'how to be green' and 'how to recycle.' It's an incredible accomplishment
to have over 500,000 people at an event and divert 100% of the waste created, from a landfill."
"The fact that we have 1,000 ambassadors out here that are assisting all of our fans with
what to do with their compostable materials or their recyclable materials is something
that's not done anywhere else on the PGA tour and it's something that all tour events are
now looking at this event and saying we want to be like the Waste Management Phoenix Open."
Of course saying you want to conduct a zero waste event and actually doing it are two
different things. That's where Waste Management come in, bringing the mission of environmental
performance to the PGA tour's most highly attended golf tournament. To do that, enter
a team of sustainability and operations experts, many of whom arrive on site up to six months
in advance to ensure that every aspect of a zero waste event is anticipated. Quite simply,
Waste Management is looking at everything, right down to the types of cups best suited
for serving coffee in a sustainable manner, and the proper location for each of the 5,
795 recycling and compost bins. "Last year, we achieved 97% diversion and to get to one
hundred this year really revolves around education -- education of our vendors -- and so upfront
they know what they can bring in and then what we can handle, and internally it's taken
a lot of communication, a lot of coordination, to ensure we're set to handle all of this
material." "We've many other green initiatives -- everything from solar powered compactors
to the use of solar power for renewable energy. We use CNG trucks for the collection of materials.
We also reduce water usage by the use of gray water in the port-o-lets and hand-sanitizer.
All of this combines to make it a truly sustainable event, making it really the greenest show
on grass." The real story of zero waste challenge goes beyond one week at TPC Scottsdale because
what happens here can also take place at homes, at businesses, campuses, and municipalities
across the country. "A zero waste challenge can really be implemented at any other venue,
any organization or business can take on that same challenge. We're actually doing this
at a number of events and a number of businesses and it's really understanding what are the
materials that they're wanting to recycle, what are the materials that they are wanting
to try to divert and how do you manage? So it's looking at waste flow or waste output
, it's education, it's signage, it's the containers, and really it's engaging everybody that's
a part of that. Zero waste is such a behavioral-based thing. It's not like other sustainability
efforts. It really engages everybody to make the right decision at the end of the day."
It's unlikely any of us will play at a PGA tour event; but the bigger lessons of sustainability
and zero waste, that's something we can all shoot for, and Waste Management can get us
there.