Protect Our Planet

At Sounders FC, we embrace our role as stewards of the Salish Sea and work with experts to educate our community about our collective impact on the region and its inhabitants. We build partnerships that serve youth most affected by environmental injustice by empowering them to be future leaders of a more sustainable, healthier planet. We measure and offset our carbon footprint annually, following science to educate ourselves and others and commit to reducing our impact.

ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE & YOUTH

We act in support of youth who are most affected by environmental injustice by building greener, healthier spaces to play. We are committed to build & deepen authentic relationships with experts that focus on environmental justice for youth in historically marginalized communities.

We collaborate with our partners at EarthGen to support sustainability education curriculum at local schools and commit to working with two schools a year to create green spaces to play. The EarthGen team solicits community feedback to address community wants and needs by designing and building authentic playscapes, outdoor classrooms and green spaces.

MEASURING & OFFSETTING OUR CARBON FOOTPRINT

We partner with Bonneville Environmental Foundation (BEF) to invest in local nonprofit organizations dedicated to protecting the Salish Sea’s unique ecosystem through the recovery and conservation of orca and salmon habitats.
Through this partnership, Sounders FC reinforces its continued commitment to Protect Our Planet by providing funding to:

• Friends of the San Juans, an environmental advocacy nonprofit based in Friday Harbor which brings people and nature together to protect the San Juan Islands and the Salish Sea through education, science, policy and law.
• Lummi Nation Natural Resources Salmon Enhancement Program, which produces and releases salmon smolts to maximize the number of adult salmon that return to the Usual and Accustomed areas of the Lummi Nation.
• Salmon Defense, a tribal nonprofit organization which protects and defends Pacific Northwest salmon and salmon habitats.
• Chief Leschi Schools and Puyallup Tribe of Indians Salmon Hatchery and Education Program.

LUMEN FIELD

As founding members of the Green Sports Alliance, Lumen Field and Sounders weave sustainability into the matchday experience. Keeping waste out of the landfill is an important way Lumen Field and Sounders fans work together to protect our planet.

Lumen Field continues to be a leader in environmentally friendly and sustainable sports and entertainment facilities around the world. Accomplishments include:

• An average of 90% of the waste created at Lumen Field is diverted from the landfill through recycling, composting and donations. Waste tracking began in 2006 when the facility recorded a diversion rate of 4.66%.
• Lumen Field’s local partners include more than 50 farmers, ranchers, fishing companies, bakers, and other food purveyors whose practices are ethical and sustainable – supporting economic development within our vibrant, local farming and culinary communities which also helps to decrease the stadium’s carbon footprint.
• During the field replacement project in 2019, 488 tons of rubber and sand were recycled, and all the carpet was repurposed, ensuring that 100% of the project was diverted from the landfill.
• In 2022, in an effort to increase waste diversion, Lumen Field invested in a customized sorting system called the MRFi. This technology speeds up the process of sorting, which is the key to a successful diversion program.

Learn more about Lumen Field's sustainability efforts here.