Millennium Stadium Wants To Be “Certifiable”

By Theodora Filis

Millennium Stadium is not satisfied with just playing host to football tournaments during the 2012 Olympics, it wants to become the UK’s first certifiably “green” venue as well.

(Millennium Stadium)

Based in Cardiff, the stadium operators are looking to meet the requirements for British Standard accreditation, which is accepted as credentials throughout the events industry. Already earning the award are Earls Court and Olympia in London, but Millennium Stadium aims to be the first to receive the official green mark from the regulatory group.

Rainwater harvesting in the pitch irrigation system, infra-red controls in the toilets to prevent unnecessary flushing, and meters installed to monitor energy and water consumption have started the ball rolling at the iconic multi-event venue.

The body which awards the British Standard Green mark will monitor the stadium’s “sustainability journey” with a pre-assessment in December.

The stadium’s manager, Gerry Toms said that the arena had always sought to be conscious of the environment and its impact, but now the venue operators are seeking to run the business as efficiently as possible. He added that major events at the stadium bring in more than £100m in cash into the local economy. 

In addition to the infrastructure improvements, the stadium’s caterers, Compass Group UK continues to only serve products from local growers.

Darren Crossman, the stadium’s facilities manager said that all waste collected and generated by the stadium is recycled. 

“We produce between 350 and 500 tons of waste per year and all recyclable material is segregated for that purpose, leaving only residual waste that cannot be treated.

“We have been busy upgrading the building management system to give better control on equipment such as heating and ventilation and are looking at alternative ways to produce electricity, such as photo voltaic cells and small wind turbines.”

Environment Minister Jane Davidson said: “I commend the team at the Millennium Stadium for the efforts it is making to make the building more sustainable.”