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April 21, 2023
Major League Soccer (MLS) kicked off its sixth annual Greener Goals Week of Service on Monday – a league-wide initiative of activations highlighting MLS’s commitment to environmental sustainability and waste reduction. All 29 clubs and league office staff have been running environmentally friendly projects in partnership with local charities to positively impact communities in recognition of tommorrow’s celebration of Earth Day.
As part of Greener Goals, MLS and its clubs teamed up with adidas to promote ocean plastic waste recovery. In partnership with Parley for the Oceans, a non-profit that focuses on the protection of the oceans, MLS and adidas are developing an immersive educational experience to understand marine environments and the co-creation of plastic waste solutions. According to Parley, between 57,000 and 135,000 whales are entangled by plastic marine debris every year in addition to the millions of other species affected. The Parley Ocean School is set to open soon and MLS will offer fans the opportunity to attend the MLS/adidas Ocean School in Miami, Florida with a friend.
Throughout the season, MLS clubs are also partnering with local food organizations to distribute leftovers after matches at their stadiums to reduce food waste and help address food insecurity in their local communities. Venues will provide 55 tons of food to local food donation programs, which in turn will help eliminate 208 tons of greenhouse gas emissions.
Each club is following activations to ‘green the game’ and encourage fans, players and partners to give back to communities and raise awareness for environmental responsibility. Some of these include:
- Austin FC in partnership with Texas Disposal Systems is helping fans divert waste with more than 70 strategically placed Ecostations located throughout its stadium. These Ecostations allow the collection of materials for composting and recycling.
- Orlando City installed an onsite recycling system at Exploria Stadium and diverted 5.08 tons of cardboard, 60 tons of aluminum, 1.67 tons of plastic and 1.37 tons of food waste since January.
- Philadelphia Union’s Subaru Park has achieved the nationally recognized zero landfill status, meaning that over 90% of waste generated at the stadium will either be reduced, reused or recycled. As of March 31, 2023, the venue has diverted approximately 920,356 pounds of waste from local landfills.
- St. Louis CITY SC opened its inaugural season as a zero-waste stadium. All waste generated will either be reduced, reused, recycled or composted. The club is also eliminating single-use consumer plastics, on-site recycling and composting collection, comprehensive energy efficiency and water conservation initiatives, and partnering with food donation programs.
MLS players will also sport adidas’ One Planet jerseys – made from recycled ocean plastic – during Earth Day weekend (April 22-23). Fans and the public can access “Greener Goals Sustainability Tips” on via MLS Work’s campaign page on the website (scroll down).
MLS is a Beyond Sport Founding Supporter.
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