Sport for Business members gathered this morning for the latest in our Smart Minds Series looking at Sustainability and Sport.
It is a vast subject, spanning so many different areas and while it feels inherently diminishing to lump them all together that is what tends to happen in organisations.
The imperative to do something together though is real. We can stop talking about climate change, it is now climate changed. Sport understands time limited actions. It is what we do so let’s see what is possible.
Today’s participants are, in the main, on the front line of addressing the challenges as they arrive, in every form from reporting and monitoring to persuading and budgeting, all the way to storytelling and keeping on top of regulation.
It felt like this was a good safe space in which we could share the wins and not feel so overwhelmed by the apparent size of both the challenge but also the necessity and the opportunity of stepping up in this area.
Sport has an unmatched connection to the way that people feel and if we can drive initiatives that both reduce our own emissions but also nudge people towards changing their own personal behaviour, that that will be a win, in an area where if we lose we will lose big.
We shared stories of some of the wins that have taken place, including two over this weekend which we will share in a new Feature and Hub on the Sport for Business website which we will launch shortly as a gathering point for shared experience across the whole sector.
That was one outcome to emerge from today’s initial meeting. Another was that there should be another, and that as a group we were well placed, with a few potential additions, to make each other better, and lift the whole sector.
We will share experience, measurements, programmes and initiatives and also look to see if we can produce ideas that will spark and maintain momentum.
We will consider how building a base of evidence might unlock funding to make the journey easier but we are conscious that this is not easy. If it was, everyone would be doing it.
It felt leaving Croke Park this morning that this could be looked back on in time as an important step forward. The combined smart minds from sport and from business have the power to look at things from a different perspective.
Sure, lets see where we go at least.
We are grateful to Peter McKenna of Croke Park for providing an inspiring setting and a great breakfast sourced from ingredients exclusively from within 50 miles of the Stadium.
The GAA, Aviva Stadium, Munster Rugby, Goal, SSE Airtricity, Teneo, Greyhound Racing Ireland and Golf Ireland are full members of the Sport for Business community.
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