Teeing Up for Sustainability Success

One of the most important factors in sustainable event planning is continuous improvement, and this can only be achieved through event planners prioritizing sustainability as a core priority of the event, rather than an afterthought. Leslie’s Pool Supplies reached out to the Green Team in 2023 to request our Green Event Services for its Annual Charity Golf Tournament, demonstrating the company’s commitment to sustainability.
2023 marked the Green Team’s first collaboration with Leslie’s 34th Annual Charity Golf Tournament, achieving 40% diversion from the landfill. This was done with only three Green Team members!

Since then, the Green Team has executed another 23 events in 2024, honings the team’s collective skills and expertise. For the 2024 golf tournament, the Green Team had twelve Green Team staff and volunteers to support on the ground efforts and achieved 57% waste diversion.
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The Green Team executed multiple strategies to maximize waste diversion from the landfill:​

• Organized waste haulers for recycling, composting, food donations, and landfill services
• Ordered the waste bins, signage, supplies, and materials needed for the team
• Strategically placed 17 tri-bin waste stations across the golf course  
• Created an hour-by-hour plan across the fifteen hours our team was on site 
• Ordered sustainable sourcing alternatives for all dishware used throughout the tournament
• Staff Waste Sorted in the back of house to make sure that every material had the opportunity to be reused, recycled, or composted 

• Volunteers Bin Guarded to raise awareness amongst event attendees
• Donated excess food to those in need
• Our Executive Director, Ashley, presented about our Sustainability Initiatives during the breakfast program
• Provided a Sustainability Guide and collaborated closely with the kitchen crew, bartenders, and golf course staff
• Composted all paper towels from the various bathrooms
• Calculated the post-event impact metrics to report carbon emissions savings
• And more!

Our impact

We achieved a 57% diversion rate, which is significantly higher than last year! This means that 372 pounds were diverted from the landfill, which equates to around a half-ton of Carbon emissions avoided. This is equivalent to the amount of CO2 emitted from charging 35,000 smartphones or driving 1,373 miles in a standard vehicle. This is an impressive impact for an event that lasted only a few hours! 
Additionally, we were able to partner with Knead Phoenix to help us donate 82 pounds of food. They network with local food donors, volunteers, and recipients to promote food access while reducing food waste. 

Thank You To Our Partners! 

• Leslie’s Pool Supplies: Thank you for your commitment to sustainability! Kudos to your company has made sustainability a key priority in its event planning initiatives. 
• McCormick Ranch Golf Club: Thank you for the beautiful venue and collaboration! We couldn’t have done it without the support of your kitchen crew, bartenders, and staff.
• R.City: Thank you for providing your compost services! Nearly 100 pounds of food waste and compostable material will benefit farms across the Phoenix area. 
• Waste Management: Thank you for your recycling services! 274 pounds of recyclables will get a second life.
• Knead Phoenix: Thank you for your food donation services! 69 meals were rescued to be donated to those in need. 
• Keep Phoenix Beautiful: Thank you for donating the recycling, compost, and landfill bins! This infrastructure was crucial to our sustainability efforts. 
• Mill: Thank you for your sponsorship! Without the funding and resources needed, the Green Team cannot operate and continue its mission.
• Phoenix Toolbank: Thank you for our supplies! Equipment and materials are necessary to get the job done. 
• Eco-Products: Thank you for providing compostable dishware! Zero waste initiatives are only possible with sustainable sourcing alternatives.

And of course, thank you to our Green Team staff and volunteers! None of this would be possible without the boots on the ground doing the dirty work to execute our waste diversion strategy on site. Cheers to another successful Leslie’s Charity Golf Tournament. May 2025 achieve our highest diversion yet.

Author: Kirsten Kierum
Kirsten Kierum is an environmental engineering student at Arizona State University. She currently serves as a Nonprofit Development and communications Intern with GreenLight Solutions and plans to continue being involved throughout her time at ASU and beyond. She is passionate about environmental issues and enjoys working on impactful projects in her community.