To mark Earth Day, Leeds Rhinos have renewed their commitment to reducing waste and use of plastic within the organisation and at their historic home at AMT Headingley Rugby Stadium.
Earth Day is an annual global event on 22nd April to demonstrate support for environmental protection. First held on April 22, 1970, it now includes a wide range of events coordinated globally by EARTHDAY.ORG including 1 billion people in more than 193 countries. The official theme for 2024 is "Planet vs. Plastics”.
The Rhinos are currently developing plans for a long term sustainability and environmental strategy that will lead the way in Rugby League with a target of net zero carbon by 2030. The RFL, a member of the British Institute for Sustainability in Sport (BASIS), has set a target of net zero game-wide by 2038.
The club have already begun work to improve the environmental impact of the stadium including the use of rechargeable lawn mowers by the club’s ground staff, installing a water bore hole and the investing in PV panels on the South Stand roof to generate power with the aim of all power requirements for the stand being self generated.
On a match night, supporters will have seen sustainable food and drink containers including cutlery in use but behind the scenes there has been the installation of an Orca food waste solution, which is an aerobic digester that utilises a natural biological process to efficiently break down food waste and means zero food waste from AMT Headingley going to landfill. The club are also given nature a helping hand with a new bug hotel installed in the South Stand car park area.
The actions are just a part of a wider Environmental, Social and Governance strategy that will be revealed later this year.
Leeds Rhinos Operation Director Sue Ward commented, “With today being Earth Day, it is a great opportunity for us all to think about the impact we have on our planet. We are working hard at the stadium to play our part and later this year we plan to host our first ever Net Zero fixture when we will ask supporters to do their bit too with lots of simple ideas that together can move us forward towards a brighter future for generations.”
