Planet Earth Games Trust has linked up with Youth Sport Trust to deliver a green legacy for School Sport in England as part of this summer’s Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. The multi-sport event is striving to be the ‘most sustainable Commonwealth Games ever‘ with carbon-neutral goals, a circular economy approach to waste and conservation projects including planting 2022 acres of trees.

Green For Go

The School Games is the national programme in England that inspiring millions of young people across the country to take part in appropriate and competitive school sport. Youth Sport Trust, who oversee the delivery of the Schools Games and a network of School Games Organisers, turned to Planet Earth Games Trust to help enhance the sustainability of schools across England. The first part of this work has been developing a new ‘green’ value.

The existing School Games values are Passion, Self-Belief, Respect, Honesty, Determination and Teamwork and were developed by young people to recognise how the experience of sport should be epitomised and embodied within schools. So, Planet Earth Games has worked with the School Games network and consulted with over 700 primary and secondary age students across England to shape the new value.

Sustainable Sport

Following the wide consultation, a new value defined as “Eco-Friendly” was launched on Monday 7 March. This new value will now put sustainability at the heart of school sport in England from internal PE classes to regional and national level competitions. It is part of a wider scope of work that will also include training and upskilling professionals and young leaders working in school sport on best practice for sustainability.

Positive Action

Chris Broadbent, Founder, Planet Earth Games said: “This has been – and continues to be – a rewarding collaboration between Planet Earth Games Trust, Youth Sport Trust and the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games. Sport can rally people like very little else can. And young people are incredibly informed, educated and motivated by environmental sustainability. Not just in talking up the importance of sustainability, but in taking positive action. That came through loud and clear in this exercise.

“By embedding good practice in sustainability in young people’s first experiences of sport, we can help make an immediate difference in sports provision. But, also leave a longer-term impact among a generation of young people in what sustainable sport could and should be. Similarly, we can draw inspiration from this generation, who are not shackled by habitual forms of delivering PE, sport and physical activity. They are incredibly innovative and wide open to the possibilities of what sustainability can bring.”