Dublin’s Croke Park Meetings and Events team has launched From Lofty Ambition to Lived Dream: Our Sustainability Story, an eBook detailing the story of how one of Europe’s largest stadiums, fully embraced sustainability.
As home and headquarters of the GAA (Gaelic Athletics Association), Croke Park is primarily a sports stadium with a match day capacity of 82,300. However, it also acts as a multi-purpose arena, staging concerts by the likes of U2, and hosting large scale events, like the Special Olympics World Summer Games.
The Meetings & Events team runs over 2,000 business meetings and events in a normal year, including multi-day international conferences. Pre-pandemic, up to 1.5m people visited the stadium every year.
During the recent pause in business-as-usual, the Croke Park team developed an account of their decade-long journey from green goals to sustainability success. The story’s key milestones can be found in their new eBook, which can, no doubt, inspire others to understand and manage the impact events can have on the natural world.
Insights from the story can be downloaded here and the e-Book can be viewed online here.
“Considering how much is now written on sustainability, it’s hard to believe that over a decade ago there was comparatively little topical discourse around it. Our sustainability story started in earnest in 2007 and since then, we have been on a learning journey that has brought rich and varied rewards,” says Mark Dorman, head of stadium business at Croke Park.
“Dublin’s credentials for sustainability have been recognised by the Global Sustainable Destination Index (Dublin was placed 11th in the world in 2019). This ranking helps those who value sustainability to select our city for their meetings and events, knowing that we’re fully aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals. We can achieve this distinction because we have venues like Croke Park, whose legacy as a sustainable venue is without parallel as part of our destination infrastructure,” added Sam Johnson, manager, Dublin Convention Bureau
Green sheet:
- 100% of Croke Park’s stadium waste produced is recycled, reused or recovered as solid fuel; 0% is sent to landfill
- Croke Park grows its own turf locally for pitch maintenance and replacement
- Croke Park was the very first stadium in the world to obtain certification to the newest international Environmental Standard ISO 14001
- The sustainability programme has led to a reduction of almost 75% in Croke Park’s carbon emissions
- Menus feature over 85% local and regional produce and by 2021 they will showcase a 100km menu
- The Croke Park Community Fund supports local projects that directly benefit those living within 1.5km of the stadium. Since 2009 over €1 million has been allocated to 200 local voluntary groups, resident associations, and sports clubs.
