Here at Populous, we have been striving for years to reduce the carbon footprint of the buildings we design. Back in the 1990s, when we worked on the Accor Stadium (formerly Stadium Australia) for the 2000 Summer Olympics, we incorporated features such as natural cooling and heating designs, and roof-harvested rainwater for pitch irrigation. That stadium set a benchmark in the drive for sustainable architecture in the sports and entertainment industries.

In the decades since then, this drive has gathered momentum and a sense of urgency. We now find ourselves in a world where all aspects of society must reduce their carbon footprint. This translates not just to the design and construction of the buildings, but also their day-to-day operations: in energy usage, water supplies, food and beverage, recycling and commuting, for example. All of us working in and consuming sport and entertainment – spectators, athletes, artists, employees, broadcasters – must unite to achieve a carbon-positive future. We’re all in it together, as you’ll see if you read our key article on page 20.

Sustainability and the protection of the natural world is the core theme running through this issue. There are other articles on a new electric powerboating race series, and on the elite athletes who have adopted vegan diets. There’s an analysis of how musicians are attempting to reduce their carbon footprint while touring. And there’s an interview with Nims Purja, the Nepalese mountaineer who climbed all 14 of the world’s highest mountains in record-breaking time, discovering in the process how the Himalayas are suffering due to climate change.

Enjoy the issue. ​