It is becoming increasingly common to hear about golf clubs achieving GEO Certified status, but we hear very little about golf tournaments achieving the same GEO Certified Tournament status.
Why have only 18 international golf tournaments – Hero Dubai Desert Classic is the 19th – achieved GEO Certified Tournament status so far?
It is crucial to take into account that golf tournaments possess the ability to inspire and mold individuals’ views of the sport. I’m not even talking about environmental effects.
Now let’s be happy that the Hero Dubai Desert Classic has become the first golf event in the Middle East and the 1st within the DP World Tour Rolex Series to achieve GEO Certified® Tournament status.
Hero Dubai Dessert Classic – sustainability efforts
Highlights from the Hero Dubai Desert Classic included:
- Wide use of solar power with the Media Centre and 80% of the fan area between the 11th and 15th holes powered by solar.
- Free water refill points have helped divert 80,000 single-use plastic bottles from landfill since 2022.
- Throughout the event, 100% biofuel is used in temporary generators, helping accelerate towards Dubai’s Clean Energy Strategy 2050, with up to 92% less carbon emissions than traditional diesel generators.
- Spectators are encouraged through campaigns and discount codes to use public transport or car share as more sustainable transport options.
- Park and Plant – for those who did travel by car, there was a charge of 50AED for parking on site, and the event planted 3 trees for each car.
- Digital ticketing and program reduced paper waste.
- Extensive recycling and composting initiatives to reduce waste to landfill.
- Along with actions to reduce carbon emissions, credibly offsetting unavoidable emissions via the Rolex Series portfolio with the Gold Standard, supporting the Central Mozambique safe water program alongside the local Mangrove ecosystem restoration project.
- PVC and vinyl from the event infrastructure will be reused or turned into laptop bags and other products.
- 2000 native Ghaf tree seeds planted across Dubai Emirates Golf Club.
- Support for Heroes of Hope, introducing people of determination to golf via organized clinics with the Academy at Emirates Golf Club.
- Renewable energy event partner Aggreko won the ‘best sustainability initiative’ award for involvement in Dubai Desert Classic 2022 and 2023 at the Middle East Event Awards in June 2023.