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21/07/2023

Sustainability Day 2023

On Saturday 15th July, Croke Park hosted 'Sustainability Day'. This was a chance to showcase some of the sustainability initiatives we have in place at the stadium and to hear from some of the people who have played a key role in our sustainability journey to date.
 
On the day we heard from Ruairi Boyce, executive chef with Aramark who spoke about our new 50 mile menus, a menu where all the ingredients are sourced from within 50 miles of the stadium. Croke Park places huge focus on local food sourcing and on reviewing our supply chains in general.
 
We also heard from Barry Nolan of Wildlife Management Services who detailed the biodiversity actions in place at the stadium from swift boxes in the walls of Hill 16, to plants for pollinators in the carparks, to Alfie the Hawk, who plays a vital role on matchdays to help manage seagulls and waste.
Croke Park Chef Ruairi Boyce and and Barry Nolan, of Wildlife Management and Alfie the hawk

Stuart Wilson, Pitch Manager, spoke about the pitch team's new battery powered mowers which have replaced the old diesel models. These new electric models are better for the environment as they produce no fumes or noise, helping reduce our carbon footprint overall. He also spoke about the Croke Park turf farm and how they use water from a well to irrigate the pitch and crops there.

Finally, Operations and Sustainability Executive, Colin O'Brien, spoke about what the day was all about. “Today is about raising awareness about how people can make more sustainable choices when coming to the stadium, leave the car at home, walk, cycle, or take public transport. Bring a reusable water bottle and coffee cup with you and use the correct waste bins we have around the stadium. All these small things add up to help us reduce the impact we have on the environment when hosting events here at Croke Park.”
Colin O'Brien, Sustainability Executive and Croke Park pitch manager, Stuart Wilson