SITE Sustainability Community attends SITE Canada Golf Tournament – a report by committee member Liz Akey, CMP – SITE Sustainability Community & SITE Canada Sustainability Ambassador.
It was a par-fectly sunny and sizzling hot day on Monday, August 11th, as the SITE Canada Golf Tournament made its much-anticipated return at the Royal Woodbine Golf Club. A long-time favourite in the industry, the tournament was brought back after several years—and it certainly didn’t disappoint!
The day was filled with great fun, fantastic networking, and more importantly, a renewed focus on sustainability. Congratulations to all the generous sponsors and the incredible organizing committee. Special thanks go to Andrew Coehen, Director of Golf, Bradley Sutherland, SITE Canada President, and the entire planning team for making it such a success.
A Greener Game of Golf
What truly set this year’s tournament apart was its commitment to reducing our environmental footprint:
- Our Title Sponsor, New Zealand, gifted participants with Biodegradable golf balls, made locally in Canada. A first for many of us—and a major win for the environment! With approximately 300 million golf balls lost each year, which can take centuries to decompose, this initiative makes a real impact. In fact, 13 kilograms of plastic were diverted from landfills, the equivalent of around 260 standard golf balls.
- Jamaica Tourism sponsored Fill it Forward reusable water bottles, helping to eliminate the need for single-use plastic on what turned out to be a very hot day. Thanks to this initiative, an estimated 200–300 plastic bottles were kept out of landfills.
- We also provided water stations throughout the course, as well as locally sourced beverages, including beer and regional wines which cut down on transportation and emissions.
- The use of sustainable gifting by hole sponsors, plastic-free food packaging, and eco-conscious planning further reduced our overall waste.
In total, we estimate that over 25 kilograms of plastic, equivalent to 560 water bottles, were kept out of the environment, thanks to collective efforts from all involved.
This event was more than just a golf tournament—it was a demonstration of how thoughtful choices can make a meaningful difference. Thank you to everyone who helped us swing into sustainability action with the return of our exciting and hugely successful Annual Golf Tournament. Thank-you to Natalie Lowe, Founder of TSEF – The Sustainability Events Forum for compiling our detailed report.
