Major League Soccer today kicked off its seventh Annual Greener Goals Week of Service, highlighting League-wide activations and raising awareness for environmental issues throughout the soccer community.
Inspired by reforestation and natural ecosystems, MLS players will be sporting adidas One Planet pre-match jerseys in celebration of Earth Week. Titled “One Planet. One Chance.”, the pre-match jerseys are made from recycled materials and come in three distinct colors representing the Woods, Soil, and Water. The 2024 One Planet pre-match jerseys will be available at MLSstore.com and select club retail locations.
Throughout Greener Goals Week of Service, MLS clubs and the League office staff will volunteer their time by conducting environmentally friendly projects in partnership with charitable organizations to positively impact local communities.
Sporting Kansas City is teaming up with the Heartland Tree Alliance in partnership with Kansas City Parks and Recreation for a day of service during the week of Earth Day and Arbor Day by planting trees at Swope Soccer Village in Swope Park on April 24. The club’s front office staff will volunteer alongside Sporting KC players in support of Kansas City’s initiative to plant 10,000 trees as part of an environmental effort to improve the urban tree canopy to enhance green spaces for a healthy, sustainable community.
The day of service aligns with “Sporting Sustainability Month” during which Sporting Kansas City will showcase the club’s multi-faceted platform to reduce food waste, raise awareness for recycling and composting, renewable energy sources and water conservation.
With the intention of reducing waste and helping address food insecurity in their region, MLS clubs and venues will collectively divert more than 61 tons of unconsumed food this season to local food donation programs while avoiding approximately 146 tons of greenhouse gas emissions.
MLS will partner with SandSi and Green 2 Sustainable to pilot a new program with select MLS venues, that will measure their greenhouse gas emissions and overall environmental impacts. This measurement tool will provide MLS venues the opportunity to benchmark environmental performances and explore opportunities to reduce emissions associated with game-day operations in addition to supporting local environmental initiatives in their communities.
To amplify efforts surrounding reforestation, MLS is partnering with One Tree Planted to plant 1,000 trees on behalf of each MLS community, up to 29,000 trees across the League. This campaign will aim to reforest 68 acres of land in an effort to provide cleaner air and water, stored carbon, stabilized soils and improved biodiversity.
Major League Soccer is committed to taking steps to address its environmental impacts and seeks to inspire clubs, players, partners, fans and staff to improve the communities where we live and play our games.
