ORLANDO, Fla. (May 22, 2021) — Orlando City SC, Orlando Pride and Exploria Stadium have announced new sustainability initiatives that will reduce the Club’s influence on climate change, while also maximizing impact in the local community through a Zero Waste program.
The announcement comes following the release of Major League Soccer’s PRIMEBLUE jerseys, high-performance yarn made with 50% Parley Ocean Plastic, which will be worn by the Lions on May 29, as well as the Orlando Pride’s Mission Program, which will include the unveiling of the Mission Planet Earth patch on May 30.
Three of the Club’s next matches — City’s May 22 and May 29 games as well as the Pride’s May 30 match — will be presented by OUC, a local leader in the areas of sustainability, water conservation and solar initiatives. Through this partnership, the Club and OUC have collaborated on a number of sustainability changes throughout Exploria Stadium, and will continue to work together on additional green initiatives that will be announced at a later date.
Fans attending matches will be able to turn to the newly created “Green Team”, who will be located throughout the venue at all matches. Green Team ambassadors will assist in educating guests on recyclable materials and proper disposal locations for paper and cardboard, as well as recycling bins for plastic and aluminum products, courtesy of Pepsi.
With the introduction of Exploria Stadium’s Zero Waste initiative, Orlando City SC will become the only Orlando-based business, MLS team and NWSL team that recycles its own materials onsite. These items will be hand sorted and later turned into products that will be used throughout the venue. By creating its own Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) at Exploria Stadium, the Club has been able to maximize the number of recycled products and, over the two year period from 2019-20, diverted 4.75 tons of plastic, 2 tons of cardboard and over 16 tons of food waste from landfills.
To close the circle agriculturally, food waste from stadium events will be composted then utilized by the Orlando City Foundation for its community gardens which are located throughout the greater Orlando area, specifically in areas identified as food deserts. Following events, Spectra, Exploria Stadium’s food service vendor, will donate all prepared but unsold perishable food to local nonprofits to be used in food pantries and programs.
The Lions will wear the PRIMEBLUE kits on May 29 when they travel to face the New York Red Bulls in a match presented by OUC. Following that contest, game worn kits will be auctioned off by the Orlando City Foundation with proceeds going to environment and sustainability efforts. In addition, five game-worn jerseys will all be part of MLS’s league-wide jersey swap initiative.
Fans can nominate someone to win one of the five PRIMEBLUE jerseys by tagging @OrlandoCitySC and using #JerseySwapEntry on Twitter, including a brief description of how that person has made a difference in the community through their sustainability efforts. Further details on the contest, including complete rules, can be found at the link here. Winners of the jersey swap will be selected on May 29.
The following day, the Pride will unveil its Mission Planet Earth patch as part of the recently announced Mission Program. The patch will mark one of five unique CITYiD patches that represents an important Club ethos, preservation/sustainability, with additional Mission Planet Earth merchandise available announced soon. As part of the program, an Ad Astra kit will be embellished with a limited-edition Mission Planet Earth patch that traveled into space and will be auctioned by the Orlando City Foundation with proceeds going to the Mission Fund. Further information on the Mission Program and Mission Fund can be found here.
Fans attending matches or visiting the stadium can also stop by the corner of Church and Glenn to see “Gyration”, a student-designed sculpture that was installed in 2020. In partnership with OUC, the design was chosen then constructed following a challenge to create an artistic sculpture that duplicates as a renewable energy source. The Club is also working with OUC on future solar and water conservation initiatives, with more details to be announced in the near future.
Tickets to Orlando City’s May 22 match against Toronto FC, presented by OUC, are available to Season Ticket Members and partial ticket plan holders only. More information on both ticket plans can be found here. 2021 Season Tickets, partial ticket plans and single-game tickets to the Pride’s May 30 are available at the link here.
