Environmental Sustainability

Our commitment to environmental sustainability is through the following tournament initiatives.  Because we are looking to eliminate waste with every tournament decision we make, we feel comfortable proclaiming this event as Zero Waste. 

For more information on the Zero Waste concept, please click here. 
For more information on how to host your own Zero Waste tennis tournament, please contact the Tournament Director, Brandon Walton at vicepresident@bouldertennis.org.

Zero Waste - Eco-Cycle, a Boulder based non-profit recycler is providing composting and recycling receptacles at our tennis tournament. Most events utilizing Eco-Cycle’s services see roughly 70-90% of their waste composted or recycled, rather than going to a landfill!  Visit www.ecocycle.org for more info.

Rewarding Sustainable Travel to the Tournament - Help cut out those global warming emissions by riding with another player to the tournament.  We’ll have a big box of prizes waiting everyday for each player who carpools with another player, walks, bikes, drives a hybrid vehicle or takes the bus to our tournament!

Supporting Organic Food Producers - Organic food is produced by farmers who emphasize the use of renewable resources and the conservation of soil and water to enhance environmental quality for future generations.  As a gift to our players and the environment, we will provide healthy organic snacks for our players throughout the tournament.  Don’t worry though; we will still buy some cookies!

Tennis Shoe Recycling & Reuse - Got any old tennis shoes that are past their prime?  Don’t send them to the landfill!  We will have a collection bin at the tournament for your used tennis shoes. All shoes collected will be ground up and turned into running track surfacing material!  Any condition of wear is acceptable, and feel free to bring as many pairs as you wish, there is no charge for this service.  Shoes in reusable condition are also acceptable, and will be donated to a local non-profit organization through Eco-Cycle.

Functional Awards - Who doesn’t have a box of trophies at home waiting to be dumped in the local landfill?  Because typical awards and trophies are not recyclable or reusable locally, we’re giving out tennis gift certificates from Rocky Mountain Racket Specialists to all 1st and 2nd place finalists in the tournament instead!  Gift certificates are the perfect Zero Waste prize, because the recipient can choose exactly what they need or want (rather than being given something they don’t need or want), and the certificate can be recycled once it is used up!

Online Registration – We will be accepting online TennisLink registrations ONLY. There will be no mail in, phone, email or late entries. When you register online, you save natural resources and (almost as important) tournament staff time.

Transition Toward a Carbon Neutral Tournament - We’re working with local non-profit, Driven by the Wind, to offset emissions from 35,000 miles of competitors driving to the tournament and our electricity use. Support renewable energy today, visit their website for more information!

Tennis Ball Reuse Program - We will be donating our used tennis balls to the CU Athletic Department and the Millennium Harvest House.  CU and the Harvest house will reuse these balls in their tennis camps. Also, to cut down on the number of tennis balls our tournament consumes, we will continue to give new balls for the 3rd set for Open level matches only.

Tennis Can Recycling – We will be recycling all of the tennis ball cans that we purchase for the tournament.  Because the cans are a mixture of aluminum and plastic (and each material is a contaminate for the other), we will be physically separating the two materials before we recycle them.

100% Post Consumer Recycled Paper – Whenever possible, our tournament will purchase and use 100% post consumer recycled (PCR) paper.  By purchasing paper with a high post consumer content, we are supporting the paper recycling industry, by assuring recyclers that there is a strong demand for recycled paper products.

Support Local Independently Owned Businesses – The Austin Scott will continue to seek out local independently owned businesses for their sponsorships and services for the tournament.