-
POSITIVE IMPACT. The over 4,000 newly planted trees and shrubs will absorb more than 800 tonnes of CO2, apart from restoring a former urban forest.
-
SUSTAINABLE TOURNAMENT. The new forest is part of the ACCIONA Open de España golf tournament’s positive impact commitment.
Today, ACCIONA and the Madrid City Council planted 4,200 specimens of trees and shrubs in Madrid's Fuente Carrantona Park, in the Moratalaz neighborhood.
A total of 1,030 square meters have been restored with 40 species of native trees and shrubs such as hawthorns, strawberry trees, thyme and rockroses, among others, typical of Madrid's natural habitats. Thanks to this new forest, more than 800 tonnes of CO2 will be absorbed.
This initiative is part of ACCIONA's commitment to creating a positive impact derived from the ACCIONA Open de España de Golf tournament held in Madrid in September.
The planting was carried out with the innovative Miyawaki reforestation method based on imitating the growth of forests in nature. In this way, very dense, varied and stratified planting is carried out in limited spaces, so that the plants compete with each other, as they would in a natural forest, promoting their autonomy, without need for maintenance two to three years after their implantation.
After the planting, the survival and growth of the new forest will be the responsibility of ACCIONA's environmental services division, which is in charge of the maintenance and gardening services for this area.
In addition to minimizing emissions during the golf event through sustainable mobility, circularity and energy efficiency measures, ACCIONA is committed to Nature-Based Solutions (NBS), such as the reforestation of natural areas or the creation of small urban forests, in order to create a net positive impact through its activity, becoming an agent of environmental regeneration.
PURPOSEFUL TOURNAMENT
ACCIONA's support for the Open de España de Golf began in 2021; since then, the event has a positive carbon footprint.
From that year onwards, the event has reduced CO2 emissions per attendee by 29% (with almost 46,000 people attending in total last year) and has left a regenerative legacy in the city of Madrid that will be expanded this year with more than 4,000 newly planted native trees and shrubs.
During the last three years, ACCIONA has implemented renewable energy and circularity initiatives such as the installation of photovoltaic panels, which provided 585kWh of renewable energy in 2023; the elimination of plastic containers; the reuse of 100% of modular structures (such as stands and tents), as well as the tournament’s furniture, decoration and signs; and the prioritization of local suppliers to reduce transportation and promote economic activity in the surroundings.
Another key aspect has been the promotion of sustainable mobility through the use of electric vehicle fleets, the installation of electric vehicle charging stations at the venue and the discouragement of the use of private vehicles with free shuttles and informative awareness campaigns.
In all editions of the tournament, the organization provides training to suppliers and workers at the event to optimize sustainability measures and it intensifies information and signage on the golf course to encourage sustainable behavior among attendees. In the 2023 edition, 80% of visitors rated the sustainability of the event as “very satisfactory,” according to the Madrid European University’s study.