The Ladies European Tour, with help from GEO Foundation, has developed a sustainability plan that aims to set out a new and strengthened commitment to social and environmental responsibility. It will also celebrate the great work being done by promoters and venues, and to share good practice across its network.
The plan includes a number of new policies spanning the reach and influence of the LET, including:
- Encouragement for all venues to be actively engaged in credible sustainability programmes and ideally accredited to international standards
- Guidance made available to staging and promoting teams, to help extend the integration of best practices across key operations, including waste, energy, transportation, catering and water
- Joint development of new outreach and legacy opportunities around events, to support local communities and their environments
- Guidance and support for communications and spectator engagement
The LET visits over 30 venues each year and is aware that many of them are already engaged with the issues of sustainability and are taking great care when maintaining their courses. Similarly, the event promoters are aware of their responsibilities and have environmentally-friendly procedures and practices in place.
However, much of this work is going unnoticed, and the ‘LET’s Go Green’ strategy will also provide a platform for all those involved to profile credible work they are doing to address a variety of important sustainability issues.
GEO Foundation provided advice and guidance to the LET and helped with the production of a document that will guide the organisation’s work in this area. The custom-built OnCourse® sustainability programmes for golf facilities and tournaments that have been developed by GEO in collaboration with many other stakeholders, are also fully integrated into the strategy.
Jonathan Smith, Executive Director of GEO Foundation commented: “This is welcome leadership from the LET at a time when most businesses are recognising the need to deliver even clearer social and environmental purpose and results. We are excited about continuing to support implementation, engagement with any venues or tournaments that would like support and recognition, and to helping to champion the outcomes.”
Looking forward, the LET’s Development Director, Mike Round, said: “This sustainability plan matches well with our other core principles, and as such should prove to be a good fit and an important area of extending the value the LET offers to all partners, sponsors and stakeholders. We will now be contacting the venues and promoters to inform them of the ‘LET’s Go Green’ plan, encouraging them to get involved, and working with them to identify and promote their stories and examples of good practice. We hope that, over time, celebrating sustainability work will become a standard feature at all of our tournaments and with all of our partners.”
