Significantly reducing our environmental impact, lowering emissions, and encouraging biodiversity takes teamwork.
While The Green Runners focus on, you guessed it, running, sporting organisations need to take collective action. When I was invited along to Wimbledon’s Environment Day for the chance to find out more about its goals – to reduce emissions from their operations to ‘net zero’, be a more resource-efficient organisation, contribute to a ‘net gain’ in biodiversity all by 2030, and to use their influence to inspire wider action – I hopped on the first available train and happily shuttle-bus-ed my way to join an inspirational group of change-makers.
Entrepreneur, Dragons’ Den Investor and ambassador for nature and the environment Deborah Meaden was joined by adventurer and survival expert Bear Grylls, and winner of The 2024 Earthshot Prize, Director of High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People, Rita Maria El Zaghloul for a panel discussion hosted by weather and climate presenter Abbie Dewhurst where climate and nature were front and centre.
Putting nature at the top of the agenda, in business, as in sport, is a great way to engage with people to make change. As the panellists discussed; we can all take so much from nature, and as Deborah said, there’s a desperate need to pay it back.
Reminding us how easy it is to connect with the wild, Rita says she still finds beautiful spaces where she can take her shoes off and ground herself – easy to do in her native Costa Rica, while Bear will search for a little area of quiet and tranquility in whichever city he finds himself in.
I asked Deborah what we could do over and above litter picking, recycling, and reusing kit, to make our collective voices be heard by businesses and policy-makers.
“Do not underestimate your buying power”, she said. Where we spend our money creates change.
Choose ethical brands, spend your money wisely. That’s what makes the difference.
Fellow attendee Claire Poole of Sport Positive, writes eloquently about the panel discussion here for Forbes.
To follow, Hattie Park, Sustainability Manager for The All England Lawn Tennis Club showed us around the grounds to demonstrate actions that have been taken at Wimbledon to help reach their targets.
From wildflower meadow planting, reusable cups and and free water refill stations, to living walls, soundproofing boards made from used tennis balls, solar panels, upcycled merch, and bee hotels, there’s a lot of green to be seen here.
And an Environment Day – for the likes of us – the aforementioned Claire Poole, Head of Sustainability for London Marathon Events Kate Chapman, BBC Group Nature Strategy Lead Tom Gray, Executive Director of the UN Climate Champions Team Fran Way, BBC Sustainability Officer Danielle Mulder, Caroline Carlin and Dom Goggins of the British Association for Sustainable Sport, Matt Nicholas of Tennis Australia, and me, for The Green Runners, what a great chance to share thoughts and ideas and continue to build on successes and learn from others.
Together. Teamwork. Match point.
