Edgbaston Cricket Stadium of England gets ahead of the game Going Green
Both teams will be batting for sustainability when England takes on New Zealand at Edgbaston Stadium next month.
With less than two weeks to go, the Men’s Vitality IT20 will be the UK’s first climate conscious international cricket match, conceived through a pioneering partnership between Net Zero Now and Edgbaston.
Building on the great work already underway at the stadium to reduce waste, source local produce and roll out low energy lighting, the Go Green Game will prioritise carbon reduction and raising awareness of sustainability and climate change among spectators, staff and the local community.
The initiative is part of the Edgbaston 4 Sustainability pledge, under which the Stadium is seeking to become Net Zero by 2030 and operate as the most sustainable cricket ground in the UK.
Using the Forecast, Reduce and Reconcile methodology successfully employed for the Birmingham Commonwealth Games 2022, Net Zero Now has worked with Edgbaston to calculate the game’s expected carbon footprint and identify opportunities to reduce it, and will then calculate the actual footprint, once all the data from the event is available. This will take into account everything from the number and type of meals served, to how long the floodlights are turned on for and how spectators choose to travel to the event.
Harry Llewellyn, Climate Research Manager at Net Zero Now, said: “There are lots of emissions sources associated with the event, from mowing the pitch to feeding the crowds. One of the biggest is spectator travel and we estimate that fans travelling to and from Edgbaston Stadium for a match will contribute around 76% of the event’s overall projected carbon emissions. But this impact can be significantly reduced if more people car share or they choose to walk, cycle or use public transport. National Express West Midlands have really stepped up and are offering free travel to the match . We estimate this could save up to 1,442 kgCO2e, as those close to the stadium who would have otherwise travelled by car are now incentivised to travel by bus instead.”
And potential CO2e savings don’t stop there. Spectators will also be encouraged to think about what they’re eating and drinking. Net Zero Now has calculated that, if one in three of the people who would typically eat a beef burger at the match switched to a veggie burger, a total CO2e saving of 1,626kg would be realised - equivalent to the emissions of a flight from London to Toronto (5000km). Water refill points are also available all around Edgbaston stadium for free so fans are being encouraged to bring a refillable bottle with them to reduce plastic waste.
Edgbaston has also agreed with Drax to ensure that all electricity supplied throughout the event is renewable solar, wind and hydro power. We estimate that this will reduce the total event footprint by approximately 9%.
Emily Tradd, Head of Partnerships and Customer Success at Net Zero Now, says: “It’s been incredible to watch this project grow from the initial conversation to making the first official Go Green Game happen! The effort that has gone into bringing this project to fruition not only represents a start to a Net Zero journey for Edgbaston but will lay the groundwork for the UK sporting industry as a whole to make critical progress towards a sustainable and, ultimately, Net Zero, future.”
Lydia Carrington, Sustainability Manager at Edgbaston Stadium, says: “We are so proud of everything we have achieved so far and are excited to begin measuring the actual footprint following the Go Green Game in order to see the results. Net Zero Now have provided guidance and support throughout and, by working together, we will start to create a change within the sports and major events industry. We are able to see how we can improve data collection and reporting, which will create less challenges in the future, and we will take what we learn from the Go Green Game into the 2024 season, making more matches sustainable too.”
For more information on the Go Green Game, Edgbaston 4 Sustainability, their Sustainability Policy and more visit: https://edgbaston.com/sustainability/
For further information on Net Zero Now, go to www.netzeronow.org or to speak to the team email susan@netzeronow.org/07967 526 586
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