A round of stakeholders events unfolded in the partner countries of the Balkan region over the past months to identify key environmental barriers, map solutions and build capacities of the participants involved. Despite the appearing similarities between the Balkan countries at a first glance, the challenges and issues the partners are facing are vastly distinct. The events have turned into both environmental capacity-building and policy-making activities, as each country has concentrated on a specific highlight relevant for the national context in the context of eco-friendly actions.
Within the training activities on the eco-friendly events, BG Be Active targeted two primary groups – grassroots sport event organisers to rethink their practices, and municipal employees to spark new green policies in sport through the movement. The discussion in Bulgaria was supported by the involvement of the regional authorities (Regional Inspectorate for the Environment and Water / Plovdiv Information Center), national waste recycling hauler (Ecopack Bulgaria), and EU sport policy unit (SHARE initiative).
In Romania, under the facilitation of AJSPT Suceava, the representatives of schools sports associations, sports clubs, training organizations reflected over the connections between Sport #WithoutWaste movement with the formal and non-formal educational system programs in the country (Green Week of the Ministry of Education), Green Friday (Ministry of the Environment), educational lessons in schools, extracurricular camps, as well as key challenges for the organisers.
Association Sport for All Serbia brought together sports experts, sport organizations, PE teachers, representatives of local governments, and higher education institutions at Sport for all National Congress. Endorsed by the Ministry of Sport in Serbia, as part of the “Active Serbia 2030” mission, the participants discussed the promotion of physical activity in the country in a more environmentally sustainable way in the context of Sport #WithoutWaste actions.
Hungarian School Sport Federation facilitated the stakeholders’ training around how to bring the concept of #WithoutWaste events to the Hungarian Student Olympics and how eco-friendly events can be organised as a part of the school curriculum. The participants joined the discussion on challenges and opportunities to carry on with the Sport #WithoutWaste concept during the Student Olympics.
In Turkiye, Envercevko arranged the event to assemble universities in the country to emphasize the role of each stakeholder – whether it is a public institution, NGO, or municipalities – to cooperate for more environmental actions and measures. Academics, teachers, coaches, volunteers, and students reflected on eco-friendly education through the Sport #WithoutWaste concept.
Albanian School Sport Federation Physical facilitated a training for education teachers, under the support of WHO, on physical education methodology to improve school-based physical activity for children and adolescents, to ensure waste-free events and maintain a green environment.
While having key components and elements, the movement is shaping in each country individually through capacity-building of the relevant stakeholders, awareness-raising campaigns, and educational initiatives. Expanding the movement by including new relevant stakeholders, the partners continue their activities in the Balkan countries. In Bulgaria, the Sport #WithoutWaste movement aims to inspire new municipal green policies and nudge the event organisers to plan their activities in an eco-friendly way. In the context of Hungary and Romania, the ultimate goal is to integrate green thinking into the design of the existing activities by involving Student Olympics (Hungary) and educational institutions (Romania). In Serbia, environmental measures are presented as a part of a larger mission for the promotion of grassroots sport with the support of the Ministry of Sport. In Albania and Turkiye, due to the infrastructural challenges (lack of separate waste collection containers, recycling solutions etc.), the movement brings environmental sustainability conversation on the agenda with universities (Turkiye) and educational sector (Albania).
Initiated by BG Be Active and backed by dedicated partner organizations from seven European countries, Sport #WithoutWaste is a movement designed to make sports events more eco-friendly while reinforcing the educational component within each nation’s context.
Don’t miss this opportunity to join the movement and create a lasting impact on your community! Reach out to us today to discover how you can contribute to the project, participate in our activities, or get answers to any questions you may have. Together, let’s create a future of sustainable sports events and inspire a greener tomorrow!
Find out more:
LinkedIn – BG Be Active
Email: beactive@bgbeactive.org
Sport #WithoutWaste is funded by the European Union. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union or EACEA. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for any use that may be made of the information contained herein.
More dialogue needed to use sports as a means for sustainable development Participants and speakers are positive about the conference outcomes and potential As a
Join City, Green, Go ! and Sport Without Waste in Brussels on April 11th for a Workshop on sustainability in sports. Explore and test fresh ideas
With the general mission of rethinking the grassroots sport practices of how events are conducted and of sparking new green policies in sport through the
© 2022 All Rights Reserved.
