The 2010 Ryder Cup, to be held at Celtic Manor in Wales, is on target to showcase new standards in the sustainability of golf events. The initiative, which stems from a partnership between a number of bodies in the golf industry, is working to deliver a diverse range of tangible social and environmental outcomes from the upcoming sporting event.

Managed by the Golf Environment Organisation, the action plan deals with four core areas: the venue, event staging, communications and legacy. Work will involve further development of Celtic Manor's existing environmental management programme, raising public awareness of environmental concerns at the event, setting in motion a movement towards the greening of all golf events, and providing a detailed Sustainable Golf Events Toolkit to aid delivery.

“Ryder Cup Europe and its partners are working hard to make the 2010 Ryder Cup an environmentally and socially responsible event,” said match director Edward Kitson. “We are working to maximise all possible opportunities to reduce resource consumption through our procurement work, and also using the event’s profile to raise awareness of what can be achieved in golf facility and event management. We are very impressed so far by the willingness of prospective contractors and suppliers to help make this happen, and we believe we will have some highly innovative and ground-breaking examples of sustainability to present in October 2010.”

Those lending their support to the initiative include Europe’s Ryder Cup captain Colin Montgomerie: “I am delighted that the 2010 Ryder Cup will pioneer sustainability in sport events. To know that important social and environmental issues are being addressed across all aspects of the event adds even more to the already huge sense of pride I have in captaining the European Team.”

The initiative is also backed by the Welsh Assembly Government, Ryder Cup Wales, the Wales Event Recycling Project, Newport City Council and is being delivered in conjunction with Greenstone Carbon Management.