St Andrews’ first Green Sports Focus Group launches successfully!
On Friday the 31st of January, eco-conscious students from a variety of sporting backgrounds gathered to attend St Andrews’ first Green Sports Focus Group – a free workshop aiming to create a space for those who play sport or are active at university to come together and discuss green practice, from weekly training and personal practice to Sinners’ socials.
A new Students’ Association Environment Subcommittee initiative, the workshop was hosted by Delilah Pearson, this academic year’s Green Sports Representative. Attendees were first prompted to identify obstacles specific to their personal involvement with university sport, before considering challenges to achieving sustainability facing the student body as a whole. Next, the group, representing 12 university sports, worked collaboratively to find and share solutions and set goals at the end of the session to put what they had learnt into practice.
Themes discussed at the meeting included but weren’t limited to: misconceptions surrounding vegetarianism and protein consumption, the impact of single-use décor, costumes, and crockery at sport social events, the maintenance and repair of kit and equipment, and the use of public transport and lift-sharing for training and competitive play.
Delilah stated: “The focus group was invaluable in identifying areas to focus our efforts on. The Green Sports Representative is a new role on the Environment Subcommittee but attendance at, and discussions from, this focus group proves that improving the sustainability of university sport has lots of support!”
If you have any questions, comments, or feedback on this topic, do not hesitate to contact Delilah at [email protected].