Organisers of the Hero Dubai Desert Classic have announced a series of environmental measures for the tournament as part of its ongoing efforts to protect the planet and promote sustainability.
The Rolex Series event, which is currently taking place at Emirates Golf Club, features several key initiatives being implemented to help deliver its most eco-friendly event yet.
The measures will aim to reduce waste and emissions, water consumption and conserve energy in an important year for the UAE. With the UAE President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan declaring 2023 as the ‘Year of Sustainability’, the UAE Government will look to drive change when the nation hosts the COP 28 Climate Change Conference later this year.
The tournament is focused on becoming a carbon-neutral event, following DP World Tour’s announcement that all five of its Rolex Series events in 2023 will adopt sustainable approaches to help reduce carbon footprint and advance climate mitigation.
Simon Corkill, Executive Tournament Director of the Hero Dubai Desert Classic, said, “With more importance placed on caring for our planet than ever before, the responsibility lies within all of us to ensure we protect the environment for ourselves, our children and future generations and we are committed to do our part in this collective journey.
“By working hand-in-hand with a variety of organisations that are experts in their fields, the Hero Dubai Desert Classic environmental initiatives being implemented will help us deliver a more sustainable tournament, working in line with initiatives like Dubai’s Clean Energy Strategy 2050 to mitigate climate breakdown – all of which will help create a greener city that will benefit residents and citizens.”
As part of a partnership with Aggreko, the roof of the media centre that will house more than 150 journalists are covered by solar panels, while two 100 metres arrays of solar panels have been installed around the venue.
For those who really want to drive, organisers have introduced limited paid on-site car parking at AED 50 per car. The fee will be used towards planting three mangrove trees locally, which during their lifetime will offset 2,000 miles of car travel emissions. As part of the DP World Tour partnership, it will also contribute to fund the Central Mozambique safe water programme, which will provide safe drinking water sources to hundreds of households in rural areas of the country.
The environmental measures reaffirms the Hero Dubai Desert Classic’s commitment to sustainability and delivering tournaments with lighter environmental footprints as the organisers work towards achieving GEO certification for the event, aligning its efforts with the GEO Foundation for Sustainable Golf.
The environmental measures also support the DP World Tour’s Green Drive sustainability initiative, which underlines an intensified approach towards priority issues such as climate change; biodiversity loss; air and ocean pollution; and sustainable and ethical procurement.
