Working group strategy & achievements

Sustainability is an increasingly important subject that we value here at uea+sport. In order to reduce our department’s, and our sports clubs’, impact on the environment, we have set up a Sustainability in Sport Working Group. The working group’s strategy can be found here: Sustainability in Sport Working Group Strategy. The working group meet at 3pm on the third Thursday of every month. If you are a student or staff member who is interested in joining the working group, please contact the group’s co-chairs: -        Bayley Wooldridge (b.wooldridge@uea.ac.uk) & Hugh Braidwood (h.braidwood@uea.ac.uk)

Working group strategy & achievements

Sustainability is an increasingly important subject that we value here at uea+sport. In order to reduce our department’s, and our sports clubs’, impact on the environment, we have set up a Sustainability in Sport Working Group. The working group’s strategy can be found here: Sustainability in Sport Working Group Strategy. The working group meet at 3pm on the third Thursday of every month. If you are a student or staff member who is interested in joining the working group, please contact the group’s co-chairs: -        Bayley Wooldridge (b.wooldridge@uea.ac.uk) & Hugh Braidwood (h.braidwood@uea.ac.uk)

Achievements of the working group

2019/20

  1. uea+sport goes green – regular feature in Sportspark staff newsletter to encourage greener working habits
  2. Carbon offsetting project – planted 100 trees in Broads National Park to offset sports club emissions from the 2019/20 academic year

2020/21

  1. There is now a sustainability section in all club development plans
  2. A Sustainability Sports Award is now included in our annual sports awards event
  3. Sustainable rewards and challenges are regularly featured on the UEA+MOVES app
  4. Volunteers will have the option to give back their kit at the end of the year to be reused
  5. Student Facebook group ‘Do Your Bit, Recycle Your Kit’ now live
  6. Bayley and Hugh qualified as Carbon Literate (Carbon Literacy Project)
  7. Sustainability information now accessible on the uea+sport website
  8. Set up a hand sanitiser refill station for sports clubs to refill their bottles and save plastic waste
  9. Created and delivered ‘uea+sport environmental sustainability’ training for sports club committees
  10. Shortlisted for 3 SustainableUEA awards: Green Campus Award, Education for Sustainable Development Award, and Staff Sustainability Champion Award

2021/22

  1. Shortlisted for the Sport & Recreation Alliance ‘Go Green Award’
  2. Set up an equipment recycling box during Do Something Green Week
  3. Hosted BUCS Triathlon and achieved two main targets: incentivise public transport and offset emissions of all competitors (see our post here)
  4. Student-led COP26 festival featuring campus litter picks and much more
  5. Attended ‘Spring Greens’ event at the Student Information Zone to promote active travel
  6. Removed the date from Derby Day medal ribbons so they can be reused each year
  7. Invited to present at the Green Sport Forum (this event was subsequently cancelled)

2022/23

  1. Developed a Sustainability Framework for UEA sports clubs to use when working towards becoming a more sustainable club
  2. Invited to volunteer as Sustainability Marshals at the 2022 TCS London Marathon
  3. Introduced an option for student volunteers at our annual Santa Run to plant trees instead of receiving a volunteer t-shirt
  4. Worked with Sportspark to change the BMS system and reduce the amount of energy used on heating of the UEA Sport office

 

 

 

ONGOING PROJECTS

Here you can find details on the sustainability projects we are currently working on.

  1. Offer a sustainability CPD session via the Volunteer Academy once per term.
  2. Sustainability discussion sessions open to all club members will be incorporated into the annual committee training schedule.
  3. Develop a compulsory Sportspark staff training module for sustainability.
  4. Collaborate with UEASU to deliver Do Something Green Week initiatives for sports clubs to engage with.
  5. Convert the uea+sport Environmental Sustainability Training into an e-learning module for as many committee members to complete in their own time as posible.