Over 70 organisations from across the sport and physical activity sector in England have committed to becoming greener by signing Sport England’s ‘Going for Green’ pledge.

Every signatory of the pledge agrees to:

  • reduce energy and water usage
  • champion walking, cycling and lift-sharing when travelling to activities
  • drastically reducing reliance on single-use plastics
  • recycle waste and increase the reuse of sports equipment and kit
  • boost activity to nurture nature and wildlife.

“From ferocious heatwaves becoming more frequent, making it hard for children to simply run around outside, to tens of thousands of grassroots football matches being cancelled every year due to severely flooded pitches, climate change is already impacting our ability to be active,” said Sport England Chair Chris Boardman.

“In fact, 3 in 5 people in England say severe weather is now negatively affecting their sport and physical activity levels.”

“Without action, we will lose even more opportunities to be active, to look after our health, to play with our friends, so we have a duty to act now to protect the things we love.

“It’s fantastic to see the first 70 organisations step up and pledge their commitment to tackling this global threat. They are the pioneers of what must become a national movement.”

“We are the first generation to feel the impact of climate change and the last generation that can do something about it; the status quo cannot be an option.”

To collect more pledges and highlight some of the sporting world’s green innovators, Boardman has set out on an epic, eight-day bike ride from the home of British cycling in Manchester to Paris, where the 2024 Olympics and Paralympics will be hosted.

The self-propelled trip was christened Pedal for Paris to capture the zero-emission mode of travel and acknowledge the 10-year anniversary of the signing of the Paris Climate Accord.

We have seen in Ireland the impact of making education and commitment simple through what was originally the Cara, now the Active Disability Ireland Charter.

‘Going for Green’ is similar in terms of providing a simple but continuous level of engagement and improvement in the way we operate.

Something similar will be discussed at the next meeting of the Sport for Business Sustainability Leadership Group, backed by SSE Airtricity, in September.

 

 

 

In partnership with SSE Airtricity, Sport for Business has created a Sustainability Leadership Group. The group will meet to discuss areas of mutual interest and potential collaboration over the next three years.

 

Find out more and get involved.

 

 

Register your interest to attend a Sport for Business event here.

 

The IRFU, GAA, FAI and Sport Ireland Ireland are among the 300 organisations, which include all the leading sports and sponsors, as well as commercial and state agencies, that are members of the Sport for Business community.

Find out more about joining us today.

Check out our upcoming events to discover ways of connecting in person with our membership.