Getting started with environmental sustainability

Travel

Encourage active travel, public transport and lift sharing for your members to travel to and from sessions. Think about how you could travel when your team or club travel together.

Install good quality cycle racks – if your cycle parking isn’t high quality people will not use it. Have a cycle pump and a few tools in case of emergency repairs in a cupboard for any cyclists who arrive with a flat tyre.

Could you install an electric vehicle charging point?

Kit

Repair and recycle equipment

Look into circular economy and finding kit using donations

Think about your uniforms and kit – named clothing can’t be passed on when it’s outgrown. Does your kit need to change every year?

Encourage mending clothes rather than always replacing when minor damage occurs. Buy good quality so clothing lasts longer.

Some places to look for circular economy

Action For Sport

Ellen Macarthur Foundation

Jog on again

Kit Round

Buildings – water and energy use

Could you switch your electricity supplier to a green tariff?

Or even install a heat pump or solar panels?

Think about the energy you use in your building – minimise where possible

Could you install low flush toilets and low flow taps?

Do you use water to irrigate outside space? Do you need to?

Buildings – waste and pollution

Consider how waste is generated and disposed of. Think about how you could reduce the waste you produce and recycle what you can

Small gains like switching paper towels to washable towels all add up

Use eco-friendly cleaning products

Your site – nature and biodiversity

Even a small site can accommodate a wildlife area. Build a bug hotel, create a pond or just leave a corner to grow wild.

Create a wildlife haven in any outdoor space – cut the chemicals and encourage nature back in.

Find out more on the Buildings and facilities resource.

Negative impacts

Pollution, flooding and extreme weather can all affect how your group operates and the services you can offer.

For information on pollution in the water this map can help you monitor your local area. Also check out the UK emissions map.

Flooding is a growing risk and can impact your sessions as sports pitches are often built on higher risk areas. The National Flood Forum has advice on flooding, Check My Flood Risk has an England map with postcode check. This map covers Wales and this postcode checker is for Scotland and this map for Northern Ireland.

Sports activities can carry a risk of extreme heat in the summer months, Shade the UK have advice and guidance on how to ensure your participants are kept safe and well.

Food and drink

Check where food has been grown and avoid high food miles especially for foods that have been flown in. Choose local, seasonal produce and consider disposal of packaging when choosing. This is a complex area, with many confounding factors. For a quick start overview take a look at this BBC article.

Banking

Where you bank can have an impact on the environment, take a look at MotherTree’s league table to see how green your bank is.