ConnectSport is a non-profit Community Interest Company working to create awareness and investment for overlooked and underfunded charities and is stepping up this year by showcasing the contribution of sport to sustainable development and ESG (environmental, social, governance) priorities.
The Humber area alone produces 37 per cent of the UK’s industrial carbon emissions and is the second most inactive place in England.
David Gent, CEO at Active Humber and Chair of Active Partnerships’ Climate Crew, explains: “So if we are going to solve the climate crisis then it has to be solved in the Humber, and my focus is how and where can sport and physical activity offer some solutions.”
He added: “There is an inextricable link between environmental sustainability and societal inequalities, and the role that sport and physical activity can play in addressing both.”
In recent years there has been more awareness of the climate crisis within sport and its carbon footprint.
David states the reason for this: “Here in the Humber, each one of our local areas is facing up to real local challenges whether it is poor housing or lack of green space.
“So it’s all becoming much more unavoidable and the sports sector is part of that.
“We are all passionate about our sport and our activities, and we don’t want them to be lost or damaged – whether that’s a ruined playing schedule or season, or polluted waters, or whatever, so we are all really waking up to how it is impacting how we play, or how we wish to play.”
Annie Gray, Director of Sustainability for Altair Ltd, also shows her passion for sports and sustainability adding how she will drive greater awareness at community or grassroots level.
She said: “It’s about promoting programmes like the Carbon Literacy Project within the sports sector, and making sure it’s being used at all levels.
“For those organisations with fewer resources, it can feel like a daunting task but it’s about breaking it down bit by bit.
“We want them to feel they can respond in a proportionate way to their particular risk and impact areas, and not just try to spread themselves too thinly across a wide variety of projects.
“Sustainability is a wide subject and you can easily cover at least 50 topics within it, but for a grassroots club it might mean initially focusing on one or two areas. It doesn’t have to be everything all at once.”
David Gent added: “I also think there’s a role for the likes of Sport England, with its System Partners, to explain the connection between the climate threat, and how it shows up in our sport and physical activity.”
To read more on the influence of elite sports clubs or organisations and how they can implement sustained change visit ConnectSports’ article.
David Gent CEO of Active Humber
David Gent CEO of Active Humber
