The Solheim Cup 2023 – the ladies golf tournament that will see Europe face the United States from the 18 and 24 September in Finca Cortesín in the Costa del Golf - has taken another step to become a sustainability-minded event: it has joined the Zero Footprint project, a Costa del Sol initiative. The Solheim Cup will therefore follow the example of other events that have adopted green practices such as to help protect the planet.
What is the Zero Footprint project?
The Costa del Sol has become the first destination in the world to calculate travellers’ carbon footprint such as to be able to offset it. The Zero Footprint project aims to measure and reduce the carbon footprint generated by sports events, including the Solheim Cup. To do so, trees will be planted, sustainable transport will be promoted, renewable energy will be used, waste will be managed and carbon emissions will be offset.
Tourists visiting the Costa del Sol that want to calculate their carbon footprint can log onto the Visita Costa del Sol webpage and fill in some information about their trip, namely the number of travellers, their destination of origin, the type of transport used, the length of their stay, the kilometres they will travel and the means of transport they will use. The calculator will then give them their carbon footprint in kilograms of CO2, alongside the equivalent number of trees needed to offset it and a number of offsetting options.
In practice, the CO2 will be offset via reforestation projects in the Costa del Sol. Every visitor choosing to offset their emissions by planting trees in the province using this tool will receive a personalised certificate with a QR code linking to the wood they have helped reforest as well as information about it, including the precise location of where their trees have been planted.
The “Costa del Sol Zero Footprint” project has two stages. The first is raising awareness. In this phase, Turismo y Planificación Costa del Sol will pay for the reforestation of tourists who have decided to offset their emissions. In the second stage, the consolidation phase, the users will directly offset their carbon footprint in different environmental projects running in the province of Malaga.
About the Solheim Cup
The first ever Solheim Cup was played in Florida in 1990. It was named after Karsten Solheim, an entrepreneur and designer of golf clubs that promoted its creation. At the championship, two teams of 12 players compete for three days following the same format of the Ryder Cup. There are a total of 28 rounds: eight foursomes and eight fourballs on the first two days and 12 singles on the final day. A sustainable event on the global map, the Solheim Cup 2023 is a unique opportunity to promote women’s sport.
Finca Cortesín, host of the Solheim Cup 2023
Located in Casares, Finca Cortesín is an internationally renowned golf resort that has hosted three editions of the Volvo World Match Play Championship as part of the European Tour. It has been listed on various occasions as one of the top five golf courses in Spain by specialist publications like Golf World and Golf Digest. The course is 6,808m long and its greens were extensively remodelled in 2017. The course has a reputation for its wonderful maintenance, for being an example of sustainability (as it is irrigated with residual water) and for the challenge its design presents, the perfect complement for its beauty. Finca Cortesín’s 18 holes are varied: no two holes are alike, making it a fun and entertaining course to play. It was designed by Cabell Robinson, a premier global designer that worked as part of the Robert Trent Jones Inc. group for many years.
