Edgbaston Stadium has appointed its first Head of Sustainability as the Club pushes ahead with ambitious carbon-neutral targets over the coming years.
Lydia Carrington joins from leading facilities management firm Mitie where she worked as a Sustainability Consultant on major UK shopping centre and hospital contracts.
She’ll be looking to build on Edgbaston’s established green credentials that in the last 12 months has seen the stadium switch to exclusively renewable energy sources, reduce waste by 33 per cent, and run kitchens free from air-freighted produce.
That progress saw Edgbaston win a Sustainability Award at the West Midlands Business Masters Awards (Nov 3) and another at the ECB Business of Cricket Awards (BOCA) in Manchester on Thursday (Nov 10).
Lydia said: “We’ve a carbon-neutral goal for the stadium by 2030. We’ve set ourselves ambitious targets because we are determined to make real progress in this area.
“As a prominent local business we should be setting the bar on sustainability and working with suppliers to offer visitors what they want in a sustainable way.
“We’re operating an ever-growing number of sustainability projects and systems to support our ambition.”
All Edgbaston delegates are offered stationery made from recycled materials – that’s saved 500,000 plastic alternatives in 2021, equating to seven tonnes – and the Club partners with the charity Let’s Feed Brum to distribute excess food to people in the city.
In addition, more than 80 per cent of all fruit and vegetables used in stadium kitchens are sourced from sustainable partners, with some even coming directly from the Club’s own on-site allotment.
Lydia added: “We’re analysing all areas of our business to see where we can make improvements – and that includes our recruitment of casual staff.
“In order to reduce our carbon footprint we aim to recruit as many part-time staff from within two miles of the stadium. It’s proved a big success with the vast majority living within that radius and 90 per cent of staff walking, cycling or using public transport to reach work.”
Lydia has previously worked on sustainable construction plans in the West Midlands for a water supply company. And during her time with Mitie she helped a London NHS Trust win an environmental best practice award for a project at a hospital in the capital.
Why choose Edgbaston for your green event?
With our many sustainable projects and systems in place, we can help you create a green event your way.
From our menus to stationery and waste management to energy used, we can support you in making your next event as environmentally friendly as possible.
Our team will work with you at every stage of the event process to deliver a green event that you can be proud of. Take a look below to find out how.
