Waste Management (NYSE: WM) announced today that the RBC Canadian Open
was named the winner of the second annual Sustainability Challenge, a
contest sponsored by Waste Management to encourage all PGA TOUR
tournaments to engage in and advance sustainable practices at their
respective events. With this distinction, the RBC Canadian Open joins
the ranks of the Sustainability Challenge inaugural winner, the Shell
Houston Open and the Waste Management Phoenix Open as PGA TOUR
tournaments that demonstrate the value of responsible sustainability
practices.
The RBC Canadian Open received the highest cumulative score for
Materials Management, Natural Resources Tracking and Conservation,
Economic Impact and Overall Sustainability. Waste Management
sustainability experts scored participating tournaments’ submissions and
were pleased to note that ninety-one percent of the 22 PGA TOUR
tournaments that submitted applications have a recycling program in
place and track their diversion of waste from landfills. As the winner,
RBC Canadian Open leadership will attend the upcoming Waste Management
Phoenix Open and Waste Management’s fifth annual Executive
Sustainability Forum.
RBC Canadian Open employs numerous sustainable practices at the
carbon-neutral tournament including: reducing waste by diverting it from
landfills and into recycling and organics facilities; providing sorting
stations where spectators bring their waste and volunteers place it in
proper recycling or composting receptacles; donating unused food to
local food banks; offering sustainable transportation options and more.
The Royal Montreal Golf Club, home of the 2014 RBC Canadian Open, is
also certified as an Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary golf course, a
designation earned for its certification in six categories:
Environmental Planning, Chemical Use Reduction & Safety, Water
Conservation, Water Quality Management, Wildlife & Habitat Management,
and Outreach & Education.
“We are committed to making the RBC Canadian Open a green event,” said
Bill Paul, chief championship officer and tournament director of the RBC
Canadian Open. “We are proud to work with RBC and all of our partners to
ensure our tournament continues to be a positive example of best
practices to reduce the event’s environmental impact within the markets
we conduct the championship.”
“As a zero waste event, the award-winning Waste Management Phoenix Open
has set the ‘green’ standard for sustainability in sports,” said Jim
Trevathan, executive vice president and chief operating officer for
Waste Management. “The Sustainability Challenge provides Waste
Management the opportunity to recognize the successes of a growing
number of PGA TOUR tournaments like the RBC Canadian Open that are
expanding their green initiatives so that others will continue to be
encouraged to ‘green’ the game of golf.”
As Waste Management Phoenix Open title sponsor, Waste Management
continues to advance innovative programs that dramatically increase
environmental and social responsibility at the tournament. The Waste
Management Phoenix Open, a zero waste event also known as the “Greenest
Show on Grass,” has become a major platform for highlighting Waste
Management’s sustainability initiatives, including the four Rs – reduce,
reuse, recycle and recover.
Through the tournament’s “Zero Waste Challenge,” Waste Management
successfully diverted 100 percent of waste away from landfills in 2013
and 2014. This year, Waste Management continues its Zero Waste Challenge
as part of its company-wide effort to manage 20 million tons of
recyclable materials annually by the year 2020 and extract more value
from all of the materials the company manages.
ABOUT WASTE MANAGEMENT
Waste Management, based in Houston, Texas, is the leading provider of
comprehensive waste management services in North America. Through its
subsidiaries, the company provides collection, transfer, recycling and
resource recovery, and disposal services. It is also a leading
developer, operator and owner of landfill gas-to-energy facilities in
the United States. The company’s customers include residential,
commercial, industrial, and municipal customers throughout North
America. To learn more information about Waste Management, visit www.wm.com
or www.thinkgreen.com.
Copyright Business Wire 2015