Like many organisations, Sport NI is prioritising environmental sustainability. We want to empower positive change within the sports sector and we want to lead by example, by reviewing our own environmental performance and reducing our environmental impact.
Sport is enjoyed by thousands of participants and fans across Northern Ireland. It delivers significant social and economic value through improved health and wellbeing, it connects communities, and supports economic growth. Our built and natural environments provide the spaces and places for our sports clubs to facilitate sport and physical activity, but climate change and wider environmental degradation present a real threat to our way of life and to the sports sector.
In response we have created an Environmental Sustainability Survey to capture perspectives of sports clubs around positive environmental action in sport. Whether you’re already acting or just starting to think about it, all views are welcome. We’d love to learn about what you’re already doing to reduce your environmental impact, the biggest opportunities, and the challenges that exist to implementing positive change.
Sport NI’s Environmental Sustainability Survey is open and takes just 10 minutes to complete. We want to learn more about how we can work with your sports club to help make your club more environmentally sustainable.
Complete the survey, visit bit.ly/EnvironmentalSustainabilitySurvey. If you have any questions, you can contact us at infrastructure@sportni.net
Renewable Energy Fund (Pilot Programme)
In addition to the Environmental Sustainability Survey, Sport NI is developing a Renewable Energy Fund for sports clubs. In the next couple of weeks, we will launch a small Renewable Energy Pilot Programme, which we envisage will be a forerunner to future Renewable Energy Funds from Sport NI (subject to budget availability). The objective of this programme is to reduce the environmental impact of sports clubs in Northern Ireland. However, the Pilot Programme will also provide insight to Sport Northern Ireland on the types of energy interventions that can have the greatest impact on sports clubs and will help us to shape future Renewable Energy Funds.
The Pilot Programme will only fund a small number of projects, and any project participating in the pilot, will have to provide energy performance and financial data to Sport NI in return. Any club that anticipates applying for the Renewable Energy Fund (Pilot Programme), must first submit an Environmental Sustainability Survey return to be eligible. Keep an eye on Sport NI’s social media channels and website for more information.
