Deutsche Bank Championship Sustains Green Commitment - September 4th

This year marks the third season that the Deutsche Bank Championship has achieved net carbon zero emissions as it remains the only carbon neutral event on the PGA TOUR. The Championship’s extensive sustainability program, in collaboration with its Founders Club members and suppliers has also been expanded with several new and improved programs.

For 2010, the Championship has partnered with BMW, the official vehicle of the Deutsche Bank Championship, to provide PGA TOUR players with a fleet of vehicles that includes the BMW ActiveHybrid 7 Series and BMW 335 Advanced Diesel. The BMW ActiveHybrid 7 Series is 5% more efficient than its non-hybrid counterpart and is able to run exclusively on electric power and emit zero harmful CO2 emissions up to a speed of 37 mph. The BMW 335 Advanced Diesel offers cleaner emissions, making it an excellent alternative to a traditional gas car.

The Championship has also invested in new liners for all on-site trash bins that are 100% bio-degradable and reduce emissions in the manufacturing process by 7%. Also new for 2010, the Championship, in partnership with Big Green Hippo & Newport Biodiesel will be converting all of the vegetable oil used in the kitchens into biodiesel fuel. This fuel is locally produced, non-toxic and can be used to power diesel engines or home oil furnaces.

Because it is not possible to entirely eliminate the environmental impact of the event, Deutsche Bank and the Championship are investing in carbon-offsets to finance programs that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by an amount that is estimated to be equal to those generated by the event. This year, the Bank will purchase carbon-offsets that will help finance the construction of a biomass fired power plant in Amazonas, Brazil. The goal of the project is to replace electricity from fossil fuels, while also reducing methane emissions from biomass stockpiles. The project will reduce greenhouse gas emission equivalent to 170,000 tons of CO2 per year and will help contribute to the sustainable development of the local community. The program was validated by environmental consulting expert First Climate, one of Europe’s leading carbon asset management companies.