Greener Games Sustainability Conference: Key Takeaways
In October 2024, Gloucestershire County Cricket Club hosted the inaugural Greener Games Sustainability Conference at the Seat Unique Stadium in collaboration with The Next Test and the Bristol Climate and Nature Partnership.
It was a fantastic evening, with lots of fascinating and productive conversations around sustainability in sport, particularly cricket. We heard from some amazing speakers with a broad range of experience who gave us plenty of reasons for optimism among the very real challenges that climate change poses for sport, our communities and our planet. Here are some of the key takeaways from our special guest speakers:
Professor Steve Simpson is a marine biologist and academic at the University of Bristol who runs a master's course in Science Communication for a Better Planet.
While his work often takes him underwater, studying the often devastating effects of human activity and climate change on coral reefs and marine biodiversity, he can often be found watching cricket at the Bristol County Ground with his kids. Indeed you can see his house and his children’s school from the stands and Steve emphasised the importance of cricket and sport in bringing together people and community.
He believes sport can offer a beacon of hope and be a powerful catalyst for change. He talked of the unifying power of sport and its potential to mobilise communities and resources for environmental action, citing SailGB’s efforts to reduce noise pollution. Healthy competition among teams and clubs, he argues, can drive innovation and sustainability, creating a ripple effect across society.
With its global reach, financial backing, and capacity to inspire, sport has the unique ability to bridge divides and ignite collective efforts to tackle climate change.
Tanya Aldred has been a sports journalist for more than 25 years, with the last 8 focused on the intersection of cricket and climate. She is a founding member of The Next Test.
Tanya spoke of how cricket is uniquely vulnerable to the effects of climate change and many cricketing nations are on the frontline. Cricket also faces a huge sponsorship challenge as partnerships with fossil fuel companies, such as the ICC’s link with Aramco and the MCC’s deal with JP Morgan Chase, raising concerns of "sportswashing,".
There have been some positive moves within the cricket world, with players like Australia’s Pat Cummins and England’s Maia Bouchier leading the way. The ECB’s 2023 sustainability plan highlights a concerted effort to reduce the sport’s carbon footprint, while grassroots clubs, such as winners of the Greenest Ground Award, Corbridge CC and Woolly Range CC, are embracing nature-friendly practices, from installing solar panels to creating habitats for wildlife.
Tanya emphasised the crucial role the 2.5 billion cricket fans can play in driving change, using our collective power to inspire climate action. She urged fans to channel their passion for the game into advocating for a more sustainable future.
Asif Rehmanwala is CEO of Ecotricity and the Green Britain Group. He is also Vice Chairman of Forest Green Rovers FC and a board member at Gloucestershire CCC.
While cricket has made some progress in sports sustainability, Asif spoke about how football is streets ahead, and his club, Forest Green Rovers, dubbed by the UN as the "world's greenest football club," are leading the charge. Their innovations include a vegan food policy, solar-powered infrastructure, and the world’s first carbon-neutral stadium, with plans for an Eco Park Stadium made entirely of wood. They’ve also set up the Green Code Framework, a sustainability accreditation which has been adopted by the English Football League.
Asif was critical of the current fragmented approach to sustainability and called for a centralisation and streamlining of sustainability efforts across sports, for example through the introduction of mandatory sustainability officers in sports organisations, similar to welfare or safeguarding officers.
Ultimately, Asif expressed optimism, framing sustainability as a vital legacy for future generations.
Indeed, the general mood of the evening was overwhelmingly optimistic and positive and it was great to see so many passionate and talented people from such a diverse range of fields, coming together to discuss sustainability in cricket. It was also a timely reminder of just how far we have to go within the sport and the existential threats that it faces.
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