The Butterfield Bermuda Championship has announced a newfound partnership with Aspen Bermuda Limited for 2022 in their quest to move closer to a more sustainable future for Bermuda’s annual PGA TOUR event. Many new and innovative solutions are being implemented at the tournament this year and thereafter to create an ever-increasingly environmentally friendly event. Mark Pickering, CEO of Aspen Bermuda Limited says “Aspen Bermuda Limited is proud to be the inaugural sustainability partner of the Butterfield Bermuda Championship as we continue our commitment to our local communities”. Plastic is detrimental to Bermuda’s oceans, wildlife, and population. As the harm caused by single-use micro-plastics increases, it becomes a prominent issue that requires close attention from the sporting events industry. Therefore, the Butterfield Bermuda Championship is taking great strides to implement a successful “green” event plan, which is intended to set the sustainability standard of excellence for other sporting events to follow. 2022 Event plans include a vast reduction of single-use plastic passing through Port Royal Golf Course throughout the tournament. Water stations positioned throughout the golf course will enable attendees to re-fill their water bottles with no bottled water available to purchase on-site. Aspen Bermuda Limited will giveaway 500 reusable water bottles daily at the entrance gate to promote single-use plastic awareness. In addition, the volunteer headquarters is reducing plastic waste by providing reusable water bottles to all Butterfield Bermuda Championship volunteers. Concession stands will serve drinks in reusable cups rather than single-use plastic cups. The on-site TAG recycling programme, new in 2022, involves collaboration with the Ministry of Public Works, Keep Bermuda Beautiful (KBB) and Cerobin. The specially designed Cerobins, placed throughout the golf course, will separate tin, aluminium, and glass from general waste. This separation helps to ensure the TAG items are processed correctly at Bermuda’s local recycling facility. All other regular trash will be disposed of at Tynes Bay, where the incinerator converts waste to energy. Transportation throughout the tournament is an extensive logistical operation. The 2022 championship will move entirely to electric buses to transport its volunteers, spectators, and tournament guests. Tournament staff are using a fleet of electric cars to move around the island in the advanced months of the tournament to reduce the event’s carbon footprint. This year, the Butterfield Bermuda Championship has partnered with Bermuda Sands and Cutter & Buck to produce an environmentally friendly uniform. The polo shirts produced by Bermuda Sands are made from 90% recycled water bottles. Volunteer jackets produced by Cutter & Buck are also made from recyclable materials. 2022 sees the move from paper tickets, pairing guides and course maps to a digital format. All mentioned will be accessible via a smartphone and a QR code, reducing paper waste significantly. A continuing partnership with Keep Bermuda Beautiful (KBB) will help to ensure that areas of Bermuda impacted directly by the tournament are maintained and that the Butterfield Bermuda Championship leaves no trace on the local environment. These areas include the ferry docking station, Whale Bay beach, Munro Beach Cottages beach and Pompano. The tournament staff also partake in beach clean-ups to help maintain the coastline of Bermuda. In addition to this, tournament staff regularly participate in KBB clean-ups to help maintain the beauty of Bermuda, specifically in Southampton and around Port Royal Golf Course. These areas include sections of the railway trail, roadsides and bus stops, the Rockaway ferry dock and various south shore beaches.
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