Leisure Management - Green Matters

Eco

Green Matters

Environmental sports initiatives are a strong trend. Tom Walker looks at some current examples

Environmental sports initiatives are a strong trend PHOTO © shutterstock

Dow Chemical

Company - Sochi 2014

The Dow Chemical Company, already the Official Chemistry Company of the Olympic Games, has been announced by the Sochi 2014 Organizing Committee as the Official Carbon Partner of the XXII Olympic Winter Olympic Games, to be staged from 7-23 February, 2014. The direct carbon footprint associated with the delivery of the Games will be mitigated through the implementation of energy-efficient technologies, with improved greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions performance in the key areas of infrastructure, industry and agriculture. All projects will be implemented in the Russian Federation, generating savings and long-lasting benefits to the host country’s economy.

Dmitry Chernyshenko, president of the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games Organizing Committee, said: “We aim to be the most innovative Olympic Winter Games in history. The positive impact will leave behind a heritage not only to Sochi and the Krasnodar Region, but to Russia and its people for generations to come,”

During the Games, Dow will lead an initiative to mitigate the direct carbon footprint associated with the hosting of the Games through the implementation of energy-efficient technologies, resulting in a net decrease of greenhouse gas emissions in infrastructure, industry and agriculture.

Amy Millslagle, marketing vice president, Dow Olympic Operations, says: “In the area of Games infrastructure, buildings contribute nearly 40 per cent of the man made GHG emissions. Improvements that reduce the heat transfer across the building enclosure have a large impact on the energy consumed to condition the interior. We’re working with local partners in Russia to introduce high-performance polyurethane foam as insulation material for windows and other potential sources of cold air infiltration, ensuring less energy usage by newly-built apartments.”
Public engagement will also play an important role on the journey to help transform Sochi 2014 into a Games city with minimal impact on the climate. Dow will also partner with Offsetters Climate Solutions – the supplier of carbon offsets to the Vancouver Organizing Committee in 2010 – to develop measurement tools to account for the carbon benefits of the solutions implemented in Russia.

ERM – a global provider of environmental, health, safety, risk and social consulting services – will provide critical review and assurance for the partnership.

Sochi 2014

FIFA announces 2014 sustainability

The organising committee of the Brazil 2014 World Cup (LOC) and FIFA have announced the details of a strategy to make next year’s competition the greenest ever. The sustainability strategy developed by FIFA and the LOC aims not only to mitigate the negative impact but also to maximise the positive effects of hosting the FIFA World Cup. Green stadia, waste management, community sport, reducing and offsetting carbon emissions, renewable energy, climate change and capacity development are some of the key issues addressed.

A total of approximately US$20m (15m euro, £13m) will be invested by FIFA in the implementation of the strategy. Further support for the sustainability effort will be provided by FIFA’s commercial affiliates and other stakeholders. The strategy builds on the experience gained from environemntal and social development programmes at FIFA tournaments since 2005, on international standards such as ISO 26000 and the Global Reporting Initiative and on the development policies of the government of Brazil. The 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil will be the first FIFA World Cup to have a comprehensive sustainability strategy.

Federico Addiechi, FIFA’s head of corporate social responsibility, said: “The goal is to stage an event that uses resources wisely, striking a balance between economic aspects, social development and environmental protection. We want the 2014 World Cup to be remembered not only as a fantastic football tournament, but also for its lasting social and environmental legacy.”

The concrete methods include:

- Green Buildings: Many of the stadiums in Brazil are planning to achieve LEED certification and are installing solars to generate renewable energy. In addition, FIFA and LOC will organise certified training courses on sustainable management for stadium managers

- Waste management: The objective of a new waste law in Brazil is to better control the handling and the destination of waste. FIFA and LOC will promoterecycling in collaboration with local cooperatives

- Climate change: FIFA and LOC will estimate the tournament’s carbon footrint and develop wide-ranging measures to avoid, reduce and offset its emissions

- Volunteer training: Additional training modules will be offered to all 2014 FIFA World Cup volunteers enhancing their future employment opportunities.

Brazil 2014 World Cup

THE:SQUARE3 - SUSTAINABLE LIVING

New sport-inspired mixed-use development The:Square3, which will consist of three towers of gold, silver and bronze, is expected to open in Berlin in 2017.

Located near the Olympic sports centre and Europe’s largest urban nature reserve, The:Square3 urban quarter will offer sports-themed hotels, a medical and research centre, sports education facilities and sport-themed retail experiences all in one place. There will also be offices for sports companies and clubs, 1,000 apartments and a green piazza.

Conceived by Berlin-based developer Moritz Gruppg and designed by architects LAVA, the 146,000sq m (1.5m sq ft) urban project is based on three main themes: sport, life and nature.
Sustainability is a key feature. The building shapes will maximise daylight, reducing the need for artifical light and energy use, while naturally ventilated spaces throughout the complex will minimise mechanical ventilation. Rainwater will also be collected and reused in toilets and for grey water use.

Rising above a sport ‘podium’ will be the three towers of varying heights, with Olympic themed facades. Each tower will be tapered towards the top to maximise sunlight, views and ventilation.
The life aspect of the project will focus on the essentials for a high-quality and healthy urban existence. Meanwhile, nature will be found throughout the development with green features in all three blocks. The apartments will have diagonally placed spaces, green roof-scapes with cascading balconies and integrated garden courtyards, and will overlook playing fields.

Dirk Moritz, MD of Moritz Grouppe said: “For us The:Square3 is more than just a development project, it’s a philosophy. Living in a big city is an experience. A good mix of people, culture and lifestyles is what makes a city interesting and worth living in. Our goal is to answer the question: “How do we want to live in the future?”

The sports-themed project – designed by architects LAVA – will be based on sustainability and will include three towers of gold, silver and bronze

Eco solutions include green ‘roof-scapes’

PHILLIPS- LEAN LIGHTING

Following the installation of a SportsArt Green System® at the Spectrum Leisure Centre in the UK back in December last year, the centre has reported that the system paid dividends in the first three months. It works by harnessing exercise power and converting this into usable energy Ian Hirst, chairman of Slam, the charity that runs the Spectrum Leisure Centre said: “This is very exciting as we were the first centre to purchase the new SportsArt Green System® and can state that it has been a great success. We can report energy savings of £600 ($961 E710) over that short period of time.

“At the centre, we strive to be innovative in the way we operate and constantly look to reduce our carbon footprint. The new SportsArt Green System® has provided the technology to assist us in supporting the environment and the community we serve.”

The new power-generating gym equipment uses its members’ exertions to produce power. At Spectrum, a pod of 10 SportsArt elliptical trainers and bikes attached to an inverter harnessess the power from exercise and feeds it back into the power grid as usable energy. This can save facilities significant amounts of money in energy costs over the year.

“This green equipment is the stepping stone for us to introduce more traditional styles of renewable energy through energy efficient LED Lighting, Solar PV and Biomass boilers. This product sits with these technologies in helping us help the environment and the community we work with,” continued Hirst.

SportsArt Fitness’ managing director Mark Turner says: “One of the biggest costs for any sports or health and fitness facility is electricity and these new exercise machines are the perfect way of tackling and reducing those bills.

“SportsArt Fitness designed and built the Green System® and we are now at a point where these machines are viable and proving to be environmentally friendly, energy efficient and providing gyms with considerable energy cost savings. The new pieces of equipment include recumbent bikes, upright bikes and elliptical trainers – all capable of producing up to 2,000 watts an hour and more importantly, cost the same as other SportsArt machines.

“With Spectrum Leisure’s evidence of energy savings, we believe this will encourage other gyms and sports facilities to consider our Green System for increased efficiencies and reduced costs.”

The energy provided by the members – and the equipment – can save facilities money

GEO FOR ELMWOOD

Elmwood Golf Club in Cupar, Fife, Scotland, has been awarded golf’s international ecolabel – GEO Certification. The club, built on previously fertile agricultural land, has established itself as not just a golf club but also a training centre and a centre of excellence for sustainability in golf.

The sought-after GEO Certified ecolabel is awarded to courses which work through the free OnCourse sustainability support programme and fulfil criteria covering nature; water; energy; supply chains; environmental quality and communities.

Some of the practical measures undertaken at Elmwood include the creation of more than 2ha (4.9 acres) of new ecological grasslands; the reuse of artificial turf from St Andrews University sports pitches; and the use of timer-controlled lighting for driving range and car park. The club also has established an outreach programme for local school children.

SUDSSPORTS - THORNTON SPORTS

SudsSports is an innovative sustainable drainage system from Thornton Sports which has been designed as a substitute for the piped drainage scheme which is traditionally used at sports facilities.

Consisting of specially designed light-weight interlocking plastic units, the system has been developed for sites that experience water management issues, heavily sloping ground levels or rainwater harvesting requirements. Its flexible nature allows the system to be installed as a full ‘blanket’ underneath a pitch, or as conduits, to potentially offer a cost-effective alternative to a traditional drainage system.

The units are installed as a strong interlocking system which are designed to provide both lateral and vertical restraint between adjacent units. It has also been designed with sustainability in mind and has a number of eco-friendly features. Made out of recycled – and recyclable – materials, it has in-built rainwater harvesting and ensures greenfield run off rates aren’t exceeded. There’s no need for a macadam layer, avoiding any contamination legacy.

The asystem is ideal for surface projects with high susceptibility to flooding, abnormal ground conditions, sloping levels and ineffective water management.

The system is based on an inter-locking system that has a number of eco-friendly elements

MIELE - GREEN WASHING

Sports venues and clubs often process a large amount of sports kit and laundry and so laundry equipment is often used many times a day and for long periods of time. If your on-site washing machine or dryer is more than a decade old, it’s consuming a lot more electricity than it needs to and wasting valuable resources.

Today’s major appliances do not consume electricity the way older models do. Miele Professional has put energy efficiency and minimising running costs at the heart of its product development of laundry equipment, which means any new appliance you buy today will use less electricity than the model you’re replacing.

There are energy-efficient machines such as Miele’s heat-pump dryers that require no ducting and easy to install: the heat-pump technology brings drying times for a 10kg of laundry load down to only 44 minutes. This means that only 0.21kWh* is required per kg of laundry, equating to a reduction in energy consumption of 60 per cent, compared with a conventional Miele vented dryer with the same load capacity.

Customers have reported that in 18 months they’ve already made savings and in five years, Miele predicts heat pump dryers will take over from condenser dryers.

* Basis of calculation: 100kg of laundry per day, 250 days per year / Electricity costs: E0.19/kWh, reduction in residual moisture from 50 to 0 per cent.

Miele Professional - Green machines

ZERO WASTE EVENTS LAUNCHED FOR THE UK

Anew industry road map for the UK, entitled Zero Waste Events: a 2020 vision, has been launched for the sports events sector. The scheme has the goal of no waste being sent to landfill from UK sports events by the end of the decade.

The challenge will be significant – the events sector is very complex and comprises thousands of operators. It supports around 25,000 businesses and 500,000 full-time jobs. It has a significant impact on the economy, with a current value of £36bn ($59bn E44bn – projected to rise to £48bn ($77 E57) by 2020. The industry could maximise the opportunities afforded by reducing waste to its advantage.

While some of the sector has achieved up to a 50 per cent recycling rate for events, most are averaging just 15 per cent, with a large amount of waste going to landfill.

The new roadmap has been developed by WRAP (Waste & Resources Action Programme), collaborating with the events industry as part of its work on the European Pathway to Zero Waste (EPOW) project. The roadmap draws on lessons learned from the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, creating a series of steps that both events and the industry in general can take to achieve sustainable events. The roadmap is the first stage in raising awareness of the positive impact which effective management of waste has on the delivery of events, both economically and environmentally.

Specifically it sets out a clear vision for how the industry can achieve zero waste to landfill from the events sector by 2020. It also challenges the industry to consider how it can work more in partnership across the supply chain and highlights the steps that need to be considered when preparing for and delivering a zero waste event.

Dr Liz Goodwin, CEO of WRAP, said: “The London 2012 Olympics showed what could be achieved by a clear commitment, by preventing waste and managing it well.

“Making waste prevention part of an event’s plan delivers significant savings for businesses large and small. It will benefit all, from local community activities up to large scale events. The events industry roadmap was developed to support business growth by managing resources efficiently. It’s a simple vision, but it’s only by the industry individually and collectively taking on the challenge, that it can be realised.”

Details: www.wrap.org.uk

Originally published in Leisure Handbook 2014 edition