Road to Johannesburg: Sport for Environment

In the build up to the Beyond Sport Summit 2014 in Johannesburg, South Africa we have been profiling the shortlisted projects category by category. In this edition we are focusing on the shortlisted projects for the Sport for Environment award.

The sport for Environment award celebrates Sport for development organisations with a specific-strand of addressing environmental issues, organisations addressing environmental issues through sport, or sport federations/companies/governing bodies/rights-holders or teams with a strategy addressing environmental issues.

The organisations in this category demonstrate one of many qualities.

• They run activities that use sport to reduce or minimise negative impacts on the natural environment.
• They have inspired people through sport to change their behaviour long-term in support of reducing or minimising negative impacts on the natural environment.
• The organisations have taken action themselves through sport to create a positive impact on the natural environment.
• The organisations have demonstrated environmental improvement or raised environmental awareness in a measurable way as a result of the entrant’s actions.

Coaching For Conservation - Botswana Predator Conservation Trust (South Africa)

Coaching for Conservation’s (C4C’s) unique environmental education program combines sport together with wildlife that they are trying to protect as the mentors on the sports field. Their distinctive 'Learning from Wildlife' curriculum is aimed at creating an empathetic link between the child and the animal while inspiring children to care about themselves, others, and the natural world around them.

By using sport, C4C are able to engage the children in physical activity which directly links to environmental and social issues (eg: poaching). Rhino poaching stretches into a national and international issue as the illegal buying of rhino horn extends over international boundaries.

At C4C participants learn ABOUT the animal and what makes it successful in the wild; then FROM it in on the soccer field, in order to care for it and be inspired to HELP it. C4C’s target audience is Grade 5 learners (10-11yr olds) because they still have intact positive youthful attitudes. They are receptive towards making change and can be taught empathy and caring towards animals and the environment in which they live.

Eagles Go Green Initiative - Philadelphia Eagles (USA)

The Philadelphia Eagles believe the path to sustainability is a journey, not a destination, which is why they developed their Go Green program in 2003 with the opening of Lincoln Financial Field.

Faced with the growing awareness of the threat of global warming, what started with a blue recycling bin under each employee’s desk has grown into a company-wide sustainability initiative focusing on energy efficiency, green procurement policies, waste reduction and renewable energy purchasing that aims to reduce the team’s impact on the environment in a cost-effective manner.

With the help of its partners and fans, the Eagles have been able to develop a multiyear curriculum and action plan that has incorporated green energy production, recycling, composting, energy conservation, reforestation and much more.

Waste Management Phoenix Open - The Thunderbirds & Waste Management (USA)

The Waste Management Phoenix Open project champions a commitment to the “4Rs” – Reduce, Reuse, Recyle, Recover for themselves and their customers.

Reaching higher levels of sustainability benefits everyone, programs and processes that achieve less waste enhance efficiency, save costs, reduce strain on landfill space and conserve resources. Improving waste diversion is a specific way progress in this area is achieved and measured.

By taking a sporting event attended by more than 563,000 fans and turning into a Zero Waste event, Waste Management are showing the world how a title sponsor can take the lead in engaging every fan, player, vendor and supporting sponsor to become part of the solution.

If it can be done at an event as big and boisterous as the Waste Management Phoenix Open, we’re showing that it can also be done at any other sporting venue – or business, campus and community. In short, we're taking a tournament known as the "Greatest Show on Grass" and making it the "Greenest Show on Grass" as well.