Philadelphia Union today announced their Greener Goals Initiatives in celebration of Earth Day on April 22, including a new collaboration with 1% for the Planet, where the Union will donate 1% of sales generated from the upcoming home match against Toronto FC on April 22 to Living Lands and Waters, a non-profit dedicated to cleaning up America’s rivers. Additionally, as part of this initiative the Union has adopted a mile along the Delaware River and will organize community cleanups in the area throughout the year.
Below please find the Union’s Greener Goals Initiatives:
Tree Planting Initiative (April 18)
In partnership with Subaru of America, Inc., the Union are once again collaborating with One Tree Planted to plant 25 trees for every Union goal scored during the 2023 season. This includes the 10 goals scored thus far this season, totaling 250 trees, and combined with last year’s 79 goals, 2,225 total trees are to be planted through this initiative to date. The Union’s front office staff and Subaru volunteers will begin this season’s initiative by planting an initial 25 mature trees at Eyre Park in Chester, Pa.
Subaru Garden For Good Education (April 19)
Stetser Elementary School students will tour the “Garden for Good” located at Subaru Park. During the tour, they will learn how to pick and plant produce while also discovering the sustainable benefits of the garden. Philadelphia Union partner Hoffman’s Exterminating will also provide an educational session on bugs that are beneficial to the garden and that will then be released into the planters. The “Garden for Good” came to fruition at Subaru Park in 2020 as part of an initiative to combat local food insecurity during the pandemic. The garden is maintained by the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society and Subaru employee volunteers and is Chester’s first sustainable and organic garden. To date, the Garden for Good has harvested nearly 4,000 pounds of organic fruits and vegetables. This amount is equivalent to providing 20,000 servings of home-grown food to local food banks in Chester and surrounding communities.
Philadelphia Union U-Serve Community Clean Up (April 20)
The Union, in partnership with Recycle Track Systems (RTS), will engage their front office staff, corporate partners and fans in a community cleanup of the Delaware River and surrounding streets near Subaru Park. The cleanup will also count as a U-Serve volunteer opportunity. U-Serve, launched by the Union, in partnership with Bimbo Bakeries USA, in Dec. 2021, is a volunteer rewards program that allows fans to receive exclusive Union experiences and prizes in exchange for volunteer hours with local and national community partners. Fans can enroll for U-Serve here: https://u-serve.co/.
Game Day Sales Donation to Living Lands and Waters Initiative (April 22)
The Union joins forces with “1% for the Planet”, committing to donate 1% of sales generated from the upcoming home match against Toronto FC on April 22 to Living Lands and Waters. As part of this initiative, the Union has adopted a mile along the Delaware River. Throughout the year, the club will organize community cleanups in the area, starting with the U-Serve Community clean-up on April 20.
Greener Goals Sustainability Match (April 22)
On April 22, the Union will celebrate their sustainability efforts during their Greener Goals Night presented by Subaru of America. The night will include various activations, including a Subaru bucket hat giveaway, made of recycled materials. Additionally, players will be wearing Adidas One Planet jersey’s that are made in part with Parley Ocean Plastic. Adidas One Planet jerseys will be available for sale online and in the Union Shop on game day.
The Union’s sustainability efforts continue year-round. In addition to their Greener Goals initiatives, the Philadelphia Union continues to maintain their zero landfill status at Subaru Park. First announced in 2021, Subaru Park was the first soccer-specific stadium in Major League Soccer to reach the milestone, meaning that over 90% of waste generated at the stadium will either be reduced, reused, or recycled. As of March 31, 2023, the stadium has diverted approximately 920,356 pounds of waste from local landfills, achieving nationally recognized zero landfill status.
