Dow Championship Continues To Focus on Sustainability and GEO Certification 

In 2019, the Dow Championship became the first-ever GEO Certified® LPGA event. The certificate is an internationally recognized award for sustainability in golf. The Dow Championship has received this certification in 2019, 2021 and 2022, and is awaiting 2023 results.

The plan is executed and fully supported by the tournament staging and organizing teams, including Dow, Outlyr and Schupan. Together, these collaborators work with one another, local stakeholders, suppliers and vendors to deliver one of the most sustainable sport events and golf tournaments globally. Each year, new expectations and goals are set for tournament sustainability and promotion.

The GEO Certification report for each year is linked below. 2023 will be completed soon.

By the Numbers

Waste Diversion Percentage

The percentage of waste drawn away from landfills.

Economic Impact in the GLBR

Direct impact from the tournament within the Great Lakes Bay Region.

*2023 is still being calculated

Our Sustainability Initiatives

GotSneakers

For the first time in 2023, the Dow Championship partnered with a sneaker recycling company, GotSneakers. Information was posted on social media and sent out via email to all volunteers and ticket buyers. Collection containers were placed in the player locker room and all staff and spectator parking locations. During the 2023 tournament, 100 pairs of sneakers were donated and either recycled or deemed as reusable. This diverted 131 pounds from the landfill.

One Last Shot

In 2022 and 2023, the Dow Championship partnered with First Tee - Eastern Michigan to give used youth golf apparel and equipment "One Last Shot” to those in need. The tournament’s over 1,100 volunteers were given the opportunity to donate any gently used polos, hats, golf shoes, clubs, bags, balls, etc. that they no longer have a need for. These items could be dropped off while arriving to pick up the tournament uniforms. Communications about this program were sent out in multiple newsletters to the entire volunteer database.

Monarch Butterflies

In 2021, the Dow Championship partnered with local conservation groups and the Midland Country Club to plant butterfly bushes at each tee box on the course. After the tournament, each plant was donated to the City of Midland and found a permanent home. One of these locations is a butterfly garden along Highway US-10.

This spring, Currie Golf Course will be taking the steps to create a Monarch Waystation. This will provide Monarch Butterflies with milkweed and other nectar plants to sustain them for their migrations and foster future generations.

Water Refill Stations

In 2023, two refillable water stations were installed at the Midland Country Club. These stations provide a safe source of water to all golfers and spectators while cutting down on single- use plastic bottles on course. These stations are available beyond tournament week, with club members having access throughout the entire golf season.

In 2024, the Midland Country Club plans to add two additional stations to make a total of four.

Food Donations

In 2019, over 1,000 pounds of food was donated to Food Bank of Eastern Michigan. In 2021 and 2022, over 16,000 pounds of food collectively was donated to Hidden Harvest and distributed to local and regional nonprofits. In 2023, over 12,000 pounds of food was donated to Hidden Harvest and ReGrow Together.

ReGrow Together was launched during the 2023 tournament to provide low-cost comprehensive meal options to the community. A few local citizens worked together to create a plan of action to keep local restaurants open while also giving local restaurants access to put food on their tables.

Recycled Materials

The top materials recycled each year are compost, beverage containers and cardboard. Waste stations are located throughout the course with two bins: recycling and landfill. Sorting takes place back-of-house to ensure compost and recycling are placed in the correct areas.

The Dow Championship partners with Schupan, KW Plastics, Evolve Golf and Core Technology Molding to recycle the mesh used on course each year into golf tees, divot tools or ball markers.

Sustainability Summit

Each year, the Dow Championship hosts a Sustainability Summit during tournament week to discuss regional ways the community can adopt best practices in sustainability. Through this program, several businesses took the Great Lakes Bay Regional Sustainability Pledge which stemmed from action items taken from the inaugural Sustainability Summit.

In 2022, the tournament launched the Collaborating for Sustainability Community Grant. This provides money toward an organizational project aimed at improving sustainability. More information relating to this program can be found at the bottom of this page.

Green Team Volunteers

The “Green Team” was launched in 2019 as a group of volunteers educating attendees on different sustainability tactics that can be implemented, not only at the tournament but also at home in everyday life. This team also encourages guests to recycle their waste to help with the zero waste efforts of the tournament.

Each year, these volunteers have a booth on course with various activations ranging from chipping or putting garbage into a bin to showing the plastic bottle recycling process and more. They also display signage showing the tournament’s sustainability efforts. New in 2023, these volunteers assisted with back-of-house waste sorting to optimize composting and recycling on-site.

Step Up Fitness Challenge

Since 2019, the Dow Championship has partnered with MyMichigan Health to encourage spectators to track the number of steps they take while walking the course to watch their favorite golfers. Attendees, players and caddies can submit their steps on their phone throughout tournament week. The goal has been surpassed each year, starting at 20 million steps to now reaching over 25 million steps.

Carbon Emissions

Since it’s inaugural year, the Dow Championship has encouraged spectators to carpool, bike or walk to the event to minimize environmental impact. The tournament has also sourced locally whenever possible to reduce carbon emissions from outside travel.

For the first time in 2021, all tournament emissions were offset. Carbon credits were obtained from the Natural Capital Exchange, which is designed to help support landowners in rural communities and the preservation of their forest lands. These credits specifically benefitted 229 landowners and kept trees growing on 269,000 acres in Michigan and other Great Lake states.

In 2022, carbon emissions were offset with carbon credits obtained through Anew Climate, a global climate solutions provider that works to accelerate climate impact.

In 2023, the Midland Country Club installed an electric vehicle charger to encourage the use of electric vehicles in the community. The tournament also partnered with Bird scooters for attendees to ride throughout the week. Six scooters were used in rotation to and from the course.

Reused Materials

Materials that the Dow Championship has utilized year after year are wood pallets, signage, sign posts, caddie bibs and staff uniforms.

The creation of each sign is done with the intent to be used again in future years. Over 80% of signage has been reused since 2019.

Materials that can be given new life elsewhere are donated to local organizations for repurpose, such as the carpeting from the hospitality suites, which goes to Habitat for Humanity.

Plans for 2024:

  1. Enhance sustainability opportunities at Currie Golf Course. A Monarch Waystation will be installed this year.

  2. Monitor Dow Championship ticket sales and expected tournament attendees per day to reduce unnecessary food waste.

  3. Open “One Last Shot” program to the community beyond the volunteer program to collect and donate more items.

  4. Midland Country Club will be installing two additional water refill stations to make a total of four stations on course.

Collaborating for Sustainability Community Grant

The Collaborating for Sustainability Community Grant awards up to $20,000 in seed money to businesses and organizations seeking to advance collaborative sustainability initiatives in the Great Lakes Bay Region. The grant program was announced in 2022 at the Sustainability Summit, and two groups were awarded funds:

  • Michigan Sustainable Business Forum for its Great Lakes Bay Sustainable Business Campaign. The Michigan Sustainable Business Forum elevates and promotes sustainable business in Arenac, Bay, Clare, Gladwin, Gratiot, Isabella, Midland and Saginaw counties. It is utilizing funding for their Great Lakes Sustainable Business Campaign, which aims to create a community of practice for sustainability and sustainable business in the region. As a result, a mentorship program providing support to local sustainability programs was developed and educational networking events surrounding sustainability were hosted.

  • Midland Children’s Museum and the local chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority for the Throw Shade, Plant a Tree program. The program is establishing eight community gardens in Midland, Bay, Saginaw and Isabella counties in urban desserts. Through these gardens, children between the ages of 2 and 13 plant herbs, fruits and vegetables and are introduced to sustainable agricultural practices. The project seeks to provide children with an educational, nutritional and social connection to sustainability and measure the collective environmental impact of the planting efforts over four years.

Please check back later for 2024 grant applications.