Flemington Green Fields

Flemington Green Fields

Flemington Green Fields is dedicated to raising awareness of environmental sustainability and the VRC's sustainability programs.

In 2007 the VRC introduced a Sustainability Charter to guide all staff and suppliers in their operations at Flemington Racecourse.

Since 2008, with the assistance of our sustainability partners, the Flemington Green Fields program has created initiatives intended to achieve the highest standards in responsible event and venue management, and in 2011 the program was recognised with the prestigious Melbourne Award for Contribution to Sustainability.

With the assistance of its sustainability partners, Flemington Green Fields aims to deliver tangible reductions to the environmental impact of our operations and especially the Melbourne Cup Carnival, including:

• On completion of the 2011/12 racing season, all 23 racedays including the Melbourne Cup Carnival will have been powered by renewable energy
• Solar power panels installed at Flemington allow the VRC to create a percentage of its own power usage
• SecondBite, in conjunction with Peter Rowland and our panel of accredited caterers, redistribute surplus food from Flemington. During the 2011 Melbourne Cup Carnival, they provided more than 6,000 nutritious meals to local charities - food that would otherwise go to landfill
• Cleanevent, together with the VRC has implemented extra staff and infrastructure that has taken the Flemington recycling rate from 28% in 2008 to 76% of waste in 2011
• City West Water is working with the VRC on rainwater harvesting and desalination projects to capture as much rain and ground water as possible from Flemington racecourse
• James Boag is contributing to effective waste management and increased recycling rates across the facility
• Schweppes Australia has upgraded its refrigeration equipment at Flemington to reduce its energy consumption by up to 25%
• Installation of a new chiller in The Grandstand has significantly increased energy efficiency in the areas of heating and cooling
• A pilot program to control refrigeration throughout the Flemington Grandstand facilities has resulted in a significant reduction in power consumption, with potential to expand this program across the site in coming years
• In late 2011, the VRC announced it had secured funding for a major expansion of Flemington’s world-first in situ desalination (ISD) program, effectively drought-proofing the home of the Melbourne Cup Carnival and saving millions of litres of drinking water each year.  On completion, the project will fully service the considerable irrigation requirements of Flemington’s famous 2.3 kilometre course proper and training tracks. 

Building on the significant achievements already made in key areas of waste, water and energy, the VRC and its sustainability partners continue to strive towards innovative environmental solutions, and towards the Flemington Green Fields vision to achieve the highest standards in sustainable event management. 

VRC Sustainability Charter

Our Sustainability Vision

To be a leader in world racing and represent best practice in event management and entertainment.

In pursuing this vision, the VRC is committed to attaining the highest standards in environmental performance.

Our vision is based upon balancing the needs of the environment and local community with that of our operations and which achieves best practice in sustainable event and venue management.

Objectives

To achieve this Vision, the VRC will manage its operations in accordance with the following objectives:

1. Ensuring that the Melbourne Cup Carnival, by embracing the principles of sustainable event management, further enhances its status as a treasured Australian icon.
2. Continually improving the efficient use of resources, particularly water and energy, and minimizing the use of chemicals and consumables.
3. Continually improving the management of our waste materials and effluents.
4. Managing the Flemington racecourse, gardens and facilities as a world leading venue and ensuring its sustainability as a profitable, community asset.
5. Engaging with the local community on the impact of our operations.
6. Ensuring the conduct of our events sets the highest standards for responsible event management, including the safety of our staff and all participants.
7. Engaging with stakeholders so that they can better understand the contribution they can make to the delivery of our vision for sustainability.

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