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Major League Soccer (MLS) recently held its 8th Annual Greener Goals Week of Service, a wide-ranging environmental initiative to underscores its commitment to sustainability. Running from April 14 – 22 to coincide with Earth Day, the league’s 2025 campaign combined impactful projects with local community engagement in an effort to reduce its ecological footprint and inspire others to do the same.
At the center of the campaign is a reforestation initiative in partnership with One Tree Planted. To celebrate the league’s 30th season this year, MLS will plant 30,000 trees – 1,000 for each club – across North America. These trees will reforest 74 acres, providing benefits such as carbon sequestration, improved biodiversity and cleaner air and water. As the organization states, “reforestation helps to restore forests that have been degraded or deforested by human activities or environmental disasters, provide jobs for social impact and restore biodiversity habitat.” Fans are invited to visit One Tree Planted’s website to learn how they can get involved.
As part Earth Week, players wore symbolic pre-match jerseys inspired by reforestation and natural ecosystems. Adidas designed the “One Planet, One Chance” jerseys in earthy tones that represent “Woods” and “Soil” using Parley Ocean plastic recycled from remote islands, beaches and coastal communities.
The league’s sustainability strategy is also addressing environmental issues such as food insecurity and carbon emissions in several ways:
- Through its food waste diversion program, MLS club venues will redirect more than 132 tons of unused food to local charities. This represents enough to feed 132 people or 33 families of four for an entire year, while simultaneously preventing 55 tons of greenhouse gases from entering the atmosphere (equivalent to taking roughly 12 cars off the road a year or annual average electricity related to CO2 emissions of 7 homes).
- A pilot program which will monitor emissions at select club venues in collaboration with Green2Sustainable. A tool will track environmental data on matchdays, offering insight into areas where emissions can be cut and efficiencies improved.
At the club level, the Week of Service encompassed a variety of local events tailored to the environmental needs of the applicable communities:
- Austin FC, the host of the 2025 MLS All-Star Game, has a year-round “Evergreen Platform” focused on clean practices, efficient resource use and waste reduction. Its Q2 Stadium recently became the world’s first Total sustainability-certified soccer stadium.
- Atlanta United is hosting Earth Month events, including beekeeping and a bike-powered fan experience.
- Chicago Fire will volunteer at Narravo Farm in support of people with special needs.
- Colorado Rapids will hold a Sustainability Night and electronics recycling drive.
- Columbus Crew will take local schoolkids on a recycling center tour.
- D.C. United will spotlight conservation partners during their Cherry Blossom Match.
- LAFC and LA Galaxy are running park greening projects, garden makeovers, and bottle-funded clinics.
- Minnesota United continued its aluminum can tab collection for Ronald McDonald House Charities.
- Inter Miami CF is helping turn Metrorail space into a public urban park.
- Nashville SC is backing youth-led climate action.
- New England Revolution will volunteer at a therapeutic farm for veterans.
- Philadelphia Union will lead local tree-planting efforts.
- Portland Timbers are organizing a city-wide clean-up.
- Real Salt Lake is conserving the Great Salt Lake ecosystem.
- MLS League Office staff will help maintain GrowNYC’s sustainable Teaching Garden.
Each project reflects a league-wide ethos: the environment matters. With global attention turning to North America as the region prepares to host the 2026 FIFA World Cup, MLS is using its platform to model how sports can be a force for environmental good.
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