SEA_Case Study_v5.pdf

MCG FACTSBEST ON GROUNDCASE STUDY:The Melbourne Cricket Club & TheMelbourne Cricket GroundThe Melbourne Cricket Club (MCC) has taken a proactive approach tomaking the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) one of the greenest sportsstadia in Australia. The commitment to making the MCG a world leader insports stadium sustainability is a notable achievement given that the ‘G’ isAustralia’s largest sporting venue. The MCG holds a capacity ofapproximately 90,000 spectators, hosts over 100 cricket and football eventsannually, contains 28 function rooms, and the maintenance andmanagement of the facility extends to the 60 acres that comprises thesurrounding Yarra Park.Since 2012, the MCG has been operating its own Water Recycling Plant,and more recently a Polysytrene Processing Plant has been installed. TheMCC’s environmental consciousness is a model for how sports venues canbe managed by giving consideration to the natural environment at everyturn. These sustainability efforts are driven by two underlying agendas: 1.The goal to remove the MCG from the list of Australia’s top 200-250 energyconsumers and water users. 2. The collective MCC management beliefthat sustainability is “the right thing to do.”••••••••The MCC and Siemens signed an Energy Performance Contract to becompleted by year end 2015. This unique partnership will ensure the MCGremains as one of the most environmentally sustainable sports stadia in theworld. The project will focus on replacing existing lights with LED lighting,the installation of advanced building management system technology,changes to the heating and ventilation systems and a modernised buildingcontrol system. The expected outcomes of the project are to cut utilitycosts by 20%, water use by 5% and CO2 equivalent carbon emissions by19%. All of these environmental outcomes will allow the MCG to recoverthe initial investment of $8 million within 7 years. To illustrate what theseoutcomes represent, the energy saved each year by the upgrades wouldpower 835 houses for a year and run the MCG light towers for 5.75 years.“The savings that this project delivers means it will pay for itself. It trulyrepresents the ultimate in sustainable efficiency. It was terrific to work withSiemens’ engineers to ensure the MCG remains a world-class andenvironmentally responsible stadium,” – Melbourne Cricket Club CEO –Stephen Gough.Page 1 || The MCC/MCGwww.sportsenvironmentalliance.org

“The savings that thisproject deliversmeans it will pay foritself. It trulyrepresents theultimate in sustainableefficiency. It wasterrific to work withSiemens’ engineers toensure the MCGremains a world-classand environmentallyresponsible stadium,”– Melbourne CricketClub CEO – StephenGough.With the installation of a Water Recycling Plant, the MCG has cut internalwater consumption by 50%. The plant’s primary purpose is to treat sewagewater and to remove contaminants so that recycled water can then be usedin the flushing of toilets at the MCG, the washing of the MCG and in theirrigation of Yarra Park. This is made possible by cutting edge waterrecycling technology that recycles water to a Class A standard. Class Astandard water indicates the quality of recycled water required for highexposure uses including those in residential developments e.g. 'dual pipe'systems for toilet flushing and garden use, the irrigation of public openspaces where access is unrestricted, and the irrigation of crops that areconsumed raw or unprocessed). Of greater consideration is the use of E-Water (Electrolysis Water) to clean the concourses and stands at the MCG.Through the use of E-Water the MCG has been able to completelyeradicate the use of chemicals during cleaning, which has resulted in zerochemicals entering the waste stream.The MCC has focused on waste management systems that have ensuredthe MCG is, and will remain, an industry leader. This is evident given that10 years ago the MCG was only recycling 10-15% of waste during sportingevents. Presently, the MCG is able to recycle around 70% of all wastegenerated during a major sporting event. The MCC set a target to recycle65% of all waste generated, for every event, for this past year (2014) andclearly the target was reached. This is a major achievement given the sizeof the MCG. This achievement is particularly admirable when compared toother Australian sport facilities as these facilities are only recycling, in thevicinity of, 30% of their waste.Diverting organic waste from landfill is another area of waste managementwhere the MCG is taking a leadership role. The Melbourne Cricket Clubestimates that, on average, 40 grams of organic waste per person, perevent, is generated at the MCG. At present, the MCG possesses thecapability to reduce total waste to landfill by 70% and the MelbourneCricket Club has future plans to procure an organic waste-processingmachine, which would increase the MCG’s capability to reduce total wasteto landfill by 80-95%. Furthermore, this machine would allow for theMelbourne Cricket Club to recapture a soil additive by-product during thebreakdown of organic waste. This soil additive could then be used in themaintenance of Yarra Park.Policies and procedures implemented by the MCC are used to guide supplychain management and material sourcing, for the MCG. The policy onmaterial use and the recycling of these materials is stringent. For example,once the technology for recyclable beer cups was made available, the MCGworked with Epicure (Catering Supplier) to procure these cups. Materialsused in the redevelopment of the MCG or in the operations of a contractor,and which are being taken out of the venue, must be stripped down orrecycled. The MCC reviews their supplier’s policies on recycling, with aparticular emphasis on how the supplier or contractor fits into the MCC’s …(cont’d)Page 2 || The MCC/MCGwww.sportsenvironmentalliance.org

environmental management system and procurement policy. This analysisweighs very heavily when the MCC evaluates a new supplier contract.Critically, the environmental conditions of the contract are just as importantas are the financial conditions. Finally, the MCC’s redevelopment wastepolicy states that any waste to enter the waste stream duringredevelopment activities at the MCG can only contain 5% of contaminants.An industry leader in the adoption of environmental sustainability practices,the MCG must be commended for managing its waste stream better thanany other sports stadium in Australia. The energy performance contractthat was signed with Siemens is yet another example of the MCC’scommitment to ensuring that the MCG remains as one of the world’s mostsustainable sporting venues. This is particularly the case as the MCGlooks to reduce energy consumption by 20% year on year.In the future, a waste free MCG is a distinct possibility. However, it isrecognised that technology can only take this possibility so far. Therefore,continued fan education and support systems for the sports fan to engagewith the MCG’s waste management systems are essential to implement forcontinued success.With the MCC’s ambition to remove the MCG from the list of Australia’s top200-250 water and energy consumers, a look towards the use of renewableenergy is a possibility. Discussions surrounding the implementation ofrenewable energy sources will take place once the Siemens EnergyPerformance Contract is completed.Lastly, the implementation of a zero waste policy for both the supply chainand contractor redevelopment activities, is worth future consideration.Critical next steps in the evolution of the MCG continuing as anenvironmental steward could include:1. Development of an MCG Environmental Logo2. MCG Goes Green Mobile Application3. Benchmarking Against Leading Global Sports FacilitiesPage 3 || The MCC/MCGwww.sportsenvironmentalliance.org