Improving Tennis Canada’s Sustainability Initiatives for the National Bank Open

The project aims to enhance the sustainability of the National Bank Open (NBO), a premier tennis tournament hosted by Tennis Canada. Tennis Canada, as a national non-profit entity, is dedicated to Canadian communities. To address the environmental concerns currently faced by our communities and throughout the world, Tennis Canada has set ambitious sustainability goals—specifically achieving zero-waste and carbon neutrality by 2030.

The project will focus on two key objectives: 1. Reduce landfill waste from the NBO, and 2. Amplify awareness of the NBO’s sustainability efforts, utilizing insights from effective marketing frameworks. To address the current waste management at the NBO, research will include an analysis of the NBO’s current environmental footprint, a best-practices assessment of waste management strategies of other professional tennis events, and the administration of online surveys – employing Community Based Social Marketing techniques – to assess spectator attitudes, motivations, and barriers surrounding the NBO’s current sustainability initiatives. This information will be instrumental in identifying effective waste reducing initiatives and enhancing communication strategies for engaging attendees. This information will be synthesized and an analysis of the effectiveness of the NBO’s current sustainability initiatives will be conducted based on the gathered data to inform recommendations for improving the sustainability of future NBO’s. The findings will be presented in the NBO’s final sustainability report.

The project’s findings will not only serve Tennis Canada in achieving its sustainability benchmarks but also contribute to broader socio-environmental dialogues surrounding the impact of mass gatherings on waste generation and environmental sustainability.

Faculty Supervisor:

Jennifer Lynes Murray

Student:

Partner:

Tennis Canada

Discipline:

Sociology

Sector:

Arts, entertainment and recreation

University:

University of Waterloo

Program: