Don’t forget to wear GREEN for Saturday’s #GREENOUT. For every fan, volunteer, service animal and – yes even players and caddies – who wear green, the tournament hosts Thunderbirds and title sponsor Waste Management will donate money to three deserving non-profit organizations with a sustainability focus.

Why the green? The Waste Management Phoenix Open is the largest zero-waste event in the world. The 2018 Waste Management Phoenix Open recently received the highest international award for sustainability in golf for its efforts to balance environmental impacts, conserve natural resources and benefit the local community as Scotland-based GEO Foundation (GEO) again named the event as a “GEO Certified® Tournament.”

To become “GEO Certified®” the Waste Management Phoenix Open, the largest attended tournament on the PGA TOUR, completed a custom-built program for golf tournaments, that was both streamlined and robust, including: document and evidence submission, a third-party verification carried out by the Council for Responsible Sport (the official verification body for GEO Certified Tournaments in North America), a thorough review by GEO, and agreement to a range of Continual Improvement Points. In conjunction with the GEO announcement, Waste Management published the 2018 Waste Management Phoenix Open Sustainability Report with detailed metrics and program explanations.

Sustainability highlights from the 2018 tournament include:

• 100 percent landfill diversion through recycling, composting, donation, reuse and waste-to-energy.
•  75 million gallons of water restored to the Verde River through the Waste Management Phoenix Open Water Campaign with Bonneville Environmental Foundation and Change the Course.
• Approximately 6,353 gallons of grey water captured for reuse from kitchens across the course and hospitality bars on the 16th
• To reduce greenhouse gas emissions, purchased 100 percent renewable electricity from Arizona Public Service, used the sun to solar-power smart energy compactors and some light fixtures around the course, fueled generators and some shuttle buses with biodiesel. In addition, most of Waste Management’s trucks used to haul materials from the tournament were fueled by compressed natural gas.
• Offset 100 percent of the tournament’s carbon footprint, making the Waste Management Phoenix Open a carbon neutral event. The offset greenhouse gas emissions came from tournament operations, professional and amateur player travel, vendor travel and volunteer travel.
• Zero Waste Stations constructed from repurposed containers engaged attendees, educating and encouraging involvement in sustainability.
• A TPC Scottsdale Environmental Management Plan and commitment to become a GEO Certified® golf facility.
• Protection of ecologically sensitive areas and minimized impact of temporary structures and heavy machinery through a TPC Scottsdale Site Protection Plan.
• $12.2 million raised and awarded to local charities through The Thunderbirds and $100,000 donated to environmental organizations from Green Out Day.
• Local youth engagement and free admission for local police, firefighters, active and retired military personnel.