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Green Events
The two highest profile examples of 'green' golf events have been the Ryder Cups of 1997 and 2002, held at Valderrama Golf Club and The Belfry.

The 1997 Ryder Cup matches at Valderrama Golf Club, Spain, were the first occasion when an environmental dimension was considered in the planning and staging of a major golf event. The host club and Ryder Cup organisers teamed up to ensure that the golf course's natural areas were adequately protected and a number of measures were taken in the areas of waste management, energy conservation and green procurement.

Particular effort was made to use the strong media and public interest in the Ryder Cup as a vehicle for raising environmental awareness, and to demonstrate that the golf industry is actively engaged in addressing environmental issues. The highlight of the campaign was the public launch of Committed to Green by the European Commission President, Jacques Santer, on the final morning of the matches.

The 'greening' of the 1997 Ryder Cup matches was not a one-off initiative. It contributed to the growing movement for environmentally responsible sports events across the world.

The legacy of the 1997 Ryder Cup continued to feed into the golf sector. The next host venue for the 2002 Ryder Cup, the De Vere Belfry in England, is one of the pioneer sites in the Committed to Green programme in the UK. The 2002 Ryder Cup was notable for a number of environmental projects, not least the development of a sustainable waste management and transport strategy.

The 2014 hosts, Gleneagles in Scotland, have made a strong point of their environmental commitment in their bid for Scotland to host the Ryder Cup.

Each year now - since 1998 - the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews publishes a booklet on the wildlife and conservation of the Open Championship venue in partnership with the statutory conservation and environmental agencies in England and Scotland.

An action plan is currently being implemented for the 2006 Ryder Cup at the K-Club in Ireland.

Click here to download a summary of the 2006 Ryder Cup Environmental Action Plan