How the sport is waking up to a more sustainable world.
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The first Sport Positive Summit, which takes place March 17-18 at Wembley Stadium in London, promises to be unique among Green-Sports conferences with its laser-like focus on climate change.
GSB spoke with Claire Poole, the event’s organizer and guiding spirit, about what attendees can expect to experience.
GreenSportsBlog: Where did the germ for the idea that became Sport Positive Summit come from?
Claire Poole: Well Lew, as you know I was a consultant to the U.N. on the effort that would become the Sports for Climate Action framework back in October 2017. Then, when we saw the success of the framework when it launched in December 2018, I thought that, for sport and climate to really move forward, we needed to catalyze the global interest and momentum. Having worked in events for nearly 15 years, a Summit sounded like something I could make happen to support the movement. So that’s where it started and, here we are!
GreenSportsBlog: It sounds so easy when you say it but pulling off a Summit that will draw people from the UK, Europe and far beyond is a heavy lift. So, kudos! How will the Sport Positive Summit differentiate itself versus Green Sports Alliance Summits and other Green-Sports events?
Claire: We’re a global Summit, we’re aligned with UNFCCC Sport for Climate Action Framework and want the momentum we are working to build to support the other green sports events out there. As you can see when you visit our website, all of the global green, sustainable sports alliances and associations are supporters of Sport Positive Summit, and their voices all are on the agenda.
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By Beatriz Rios | EURACTIV.com Dec 26, 2019 (updated: Jun 24, 2020)
A study conducted in England has listed its football teams according to their environmental performance and four Premier League clubs – Arsenal, Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham – are leading the table.
The study was conducted by Andrew Welfle from the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research at the University of Manchester, in collaboration with BBC Sports, and commissioned by the UN-backed Sports Positive Summit, has concluded.
For the study, clubs were asked to provide information regarding their use of clean energy, energy and water efficiency performance, sustainable transport initiatives, single-use plastic reduction, waste management attainment, low carbon food options availability and communication plans.
The clubs were awarded points depending on whether they had implemented relevant initiatives to improve their performance in their stadiums, offices and/or grounds on all these eight areas. Arsenal FC, Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspurs were awarded the full score.
Arsenal switched to renewable electricity in 2017, paper straws and wooden stirrers have replaced the plastic ones, 90% is the waste recycling rate on match day, has a system to reuse water for irrigation and counts on several vegan options in their menu.
Manchester City has cycle parking spaces and electric charging points across the stadium; the club achieved zero waste sent to landfill via recycling, introduced a reusable beer cup scheme that made it possible to remove 29k single-use plastic cups each matchday and managed to reduce water consumption by 83% thanks to the use of rainwater.
Manchester United has the policy to purchase certified green electricity for all facilities, the club has promoted a ‘Cycle to Work scheme’ for staff to reduce and spread the cost of purchasing a bike and accessories and whatever is not recycled on-site is used to produce energy while waste food is composted.
10% of the energy of Tottenham’s training facility is produced on-site through renewable sources, it also counts on a sedum ‘green roof’ to enable the capture and re-harvesting of rainwater. Furthermore, the club has committed to raising awareness and has dedicated part of the website to highlight its own and others’ activities.
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By Jack Skelton & David Lockwood
Extinction Rebellion protests, flooding and wildfires mean environmental issues, climate change and sustainability are right at the top of the world’s news agenda.
But what are England’s leading football clubs – among the country’s most globally recognised brands – doing to help the environment?
BBC Sport has worked with the United Nations-backed Sport Positive Summit, which will host its first conference in 2020, to compile research into the sustainability of all 20 Premier League clubs.
They were asked to provide evidence of schemes in eight categories:
- clean energy
- energy efficiency
- sustainable transport
- single-use plastic reduction or removal
- waste management
- water efficiency
- plant-based or low-carbon food options
- communications or engagement
The clubs were awarded one point per category if they had suitable initiatives taking place in their stadiums, training grounds and/or offices and half a point if plans were being developed in that area but were yet to fully materialise.
What does the table show?
Above is a simplified version of the full table – available here – which breaks down every club’s score in each category, and highlights their specific schemes and initiatives.
This is the first time all of this information has been made public in one place, and Sport Positive Summit’s research is designed as an introductory and accessible resource.
The table will be updated when clubs introduce new schemes or develop existing ones, and Sport Positive Summit sees it as a tool to encourage more action and transparency on sustainability.
Its CEO, Claire Poole, said: “Our ambition by publishing this information is to educate and engage, both football and industry professionals about what top-flight clubs are doing to reduce their environmental impact, and for interested fans to easily access what their club is doing.
“We are all on a journey when it comes to reducing our impact on the environment, and we hope more awareness about these initiatives will help drive increased ambition across football and other sports.”
Published on the Sustainability Report
Elite athletes set a goal before they know how they’ll achieve it – the same mentality can be adopted by sports organisations to address climate change, say Joie Leigh and Claire Poole
The parallels between the journey of a professional sportsperson, striving to become a champion, and the journey of a sports entity trying to play its role in combating climate change is more similar than you might think. Setting goals that can seem overwhelming, working through setbacks, overcoming mental barriers and, in some cases, facing external criticism or doubt is part of the territory for both endeavors.
If you’re working in the sports industry and trying to make your organisation, club or sports more sustainable amid constant challenges, your ambition could be aided by adopting the athlete mindset. Here’s how to achieve that in six steps:
1. Set the goal
Athletes set themselves goals pretty early on. It could be competing at the Olympic Games, becoming World Champion or winning an iconic race or tournament. It’s usually a BHAG (big hairy audacious goal) in the future. At this stage it’s unlikely the athlete even knows if the goal is achievable, but we can take the lead from the belief of setting the BHAG in the first place and then mapping out what it takes to make it happen.
Often in sport operations when we’re looking at being more environmentally-friendly, we think incrementally. A reduction here, a campaign there. This is amazing, and there is nothing wrong with starting small – but with time running out, let’s try and take a lead from athletes in setting a bigger goal.
2. Have what it takes
An athlete’s mindset is based on commitment. You have a dream, an aspiration of what you would like to achieve in the future to win big competitions or be the best in the world, but to begin you have to fully commit. There is an understanding that success is not guaranteed, and the journey is often embarked upon without really knowing how to get there. There will be uncertainties, setbacks, challenges and difficulties. However, deciding to go after it anyway and continually adapting, reorienting and improving towards achieving the goal is a constant mindset.
When we watch athletes and teams perform and feel inspired, we think we are inspired by the achievement itself – the medal, the trophy, a personal best. Often, we are actually inspired by the mindset that person or team has, which has led to that achievement. The only chance of success comes through being totally committed to the goal. It’s the mindset of commitment and intent that we admire, and that’s something we can all do.
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As the number of sports entities signing up to the UNFCCC framework increases by the week, those unaware or undecided have two options: watch from the sidelines or come out fighting, says Claire Poole
Sport is having a moment. The latest announcements from New York Yankees, the NBA, AEG and World Taekwondo that they would be adopting the UNFCCC Sports for Climate Action Framework brings the number of signatories up to 26 and counting.
These sports organisations have rallied behind a clarion call; to commit to measure, reduce, and report on their greenhouse gas emissions, as well as using their sport as a unifying tool to federate and create solidarity among global citizens for climate action. More signatories are joining all the time, but for those who are unaware or undecided, here are a few reasons why now is your moment, too:
1. Sport is being affected by climate change, right now
Air pollution has stopped play at cricket games in India, local football teams in the UK have been forced out of their stadiums by flooding, the landscape on which snow sports and outdoor ice hockey takes place are disappearing, extreme heat has disrupted tennis matches in the US and Australia and water sports are alarmed by the levels of plastic pollution where they work and train.
As well as environments being impaired, athletes being affected and individual events being delayed, some sports may see their event wiped out entirely by the rise of extreme weather events; as in 2012 when the New York Marathon was cancelled in the wake of Hurricane Sandy.
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By David Lockwood
BBC Sport
Tottenham are the greenest Premier League club, coming top of a table measuring the sustainability of all 20 top-flight sides.
Spurs claimed maximum points in The Green League for 2020, due in part to Monday’s announcement that they have signed up to the United Nations’ Sports for Climate Action framework.
“Looking to our future beyond the current pandemic, our message is that the climate needs to be at forefront of all our minds,” said Spurs chairman Daniel Levy.
“We have seen people take greater pride in their environment during the lockdowns of the past year. When we return to normality, we cannot slip back into bad habits and lose sight of this.”
What is the sustainability table?
First published in 2019 by BBC Sport and the United Nations-backed Sport Positive Summit, the rankings have been updated along with the criteria and methodology.
Teams have been asked to provide evidence of efforts in eight categories. There are more points available in each category this year and three bonus points, making a total of 21.
February 17th, 2020 – London: One month ahead of the largest gathering to date of global sports organisations affecting positive environmental change, Sport Positive Summit announces it’s partnership with UK Government’s Year of Climate Action in the run up to UN Climate Change Conference (COP26).
The UK Year of Climate Action 2020 provides an opportunity, during a critical year for the future of our planet, to make changes to stop the activities which are polluting our land, water and skies; impacting people’s lives, and making parts of our planet uninhabitable.
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25 November 2019, London – The global meeting place for sports organisations effecting
positive environmental impacts, Sport Positive Summit 2020 in collaboration with UNFCCC
Global Climate Action, today announces its collaboration with the International Olympic
Committee (IOC).
13 November 2019, London – For the first time the environmental sustainability initiatives of all 20 top flight English teams, provided by and/or verified by the clubs themselves, have been collated into a league table.
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