The role of societal influence is one of the greatest opportunities that sports organisations can play in tackling sustainability issues. This is because sports organisations have an immense following and huge numbers of supporters, so they have a large potential to positively influence this vast number of people.
While the influence on fans reaches the largest number of people, the influence of sports organisations is not limited to fans: internal management staff and players are also affected. In this blog, we see how that comes about and why that’s important, before hearing from five of our team members about changes they’ve made in their own lives.
Societal Influence
When thinking about different actions to take to address sustainability issues, the same answers come up: buy an electric car, switch to renewable energy, eat less red meat, avoid single-use plastic, rewild your land, etc. These are all physical actions (or avoided actions) that take place, and are of immense importance. However, what if you already do all of these things? Or what if you are unable to do these things (e.g., you cannot afford an electric car)?
A recent paper answered this question, showing the multiple roles that actors can take to address climate action, including the physical things mentioned above, but crucially also including social categories of ‘citizenship’ and ‘influence’. Concerning influence, it was suggested that taking climate action can be done through talking to others, involving yourself in the community, or making the right career choices.
The Importance of Influence
Social influence is one of the primary drivers of low carbon behaviours, and, according to the latest IPCC report, behavioural changes can account for 10-85% of the carbon footprint reductions we need across different sectors. One of the main ways to socially influence others is through communicating through speaking.
Regarding sustainability, talking about climate change can lead to a greater acceptance of climate science, strengthen pro-climate beliefs, and reduce pluralistic ignorance (this is where you think others don’t believe the same things as you, and so you become scared to act, when in actual fact, they do believe the same things, and they are just experiencing the same feelings). Compared to listening or reading, conversations can deliver sustained engagement and result in changes in behaviours after the event. Therefore, by talking about sustainability and the importance of doing the right thing for people and the planet, Desert Vipers can use its platform to reduce pluralistic ignorance and foster positive behavioural changes amongst its stakeholders, including staff.
Changes Desert Vipers Staff Have Made
When planning this blog, I (Ben Hardy-Jones – Sustainability Lead), contacted five members of staff to ask if they had made any changes to their own lives since learning about sustainability through the Vipers. Fantastically, all five people had made changes, and they were very proud of them! Here are the responses:
- “After riding in the electric vehicle (EV) last season, I decided to buy an EV of my own, which has been a fantastic buy” – Yogesh, Senior Manager – Sponsorship & Marketing
Buying an EV is one of the most important changes that individuals can make to become more sustainable, where they need to use a car in their lives. It was great to hear that Yogesh had been inspired by using the EV with Desert Vipers, and that this had played a part in him purchasing one in his own life.
- “I booked to go back to the UK and I paid a percentage of my Etihad flight to offset the emissions, which we will continue to do when we fly as a family!” – Danielle, Office Manager
Where people have to fly, we advocate for flying better and compensating for those emissions if possible. It is great that Danielle is thinking about that when booking the flights for her family.
- “I was surprised to learn just how bad red meat was for the planet during Season 2’s Sustainability Match, so since then I have tried to reduce the amount of red meat I eat” – Jack, Development Lead
Red meat has a tremendously-high carbon footprint compared to white meat and vegetarian food. This was communicated through the carbon footprint savings in the Sustainability Match Report last season, and this year we are placing carbon footprint labels in one of the restaurants in the team hotel, hoping to educate more people about this.
- “I consciously try carrying my own water bottle while going out and taking a cloth bag for grocery/shopping, etc. This is to avoid buying single-use plastic” – Pritha, Compliance Manager
Reusable bags and bottles when on the go can save you from having to buy lots of items packaged in single-use plastic. By thinking ahead and taking a few seconds to make sure she has everything before going out, Pritha is showing how sustainable practices can be simple and easy.
- “I am now very cautious of using single-use plastic bottles at my home, and I actually take our Bluewater bottle along with me most of the time when I am out and about” – Amey, Content Manager
Single-use plastic was a key focus in Season 2, with the team saving 14,400 single-use plastic water bottles during the season. However, with more sustainable practices like those from Amey, the true number of water bottles saved will be considerably higher, as our Bluewater reusable water bottles were used elsewhere.
Sustainability Spotlight – ElphaTap
One of the ways in which we influence each other is through our interactions when meeting people for the first time. In business, it is common to exchange a business card; however, these cards are usually made from paper/card and are single-use.
ElphaTap have decided to address this issue, and have made a digital platform to share information with the single tap of a wooden card on someone else’s phone. This system saves paper, and means that if your job title or contact details change, you don’t need a new card – you simply update the app! Beyond this, ElphaTap plants a tree for every person that uses a card, with their goal to plant one million trees.
Desert Vipers are proud to share that ElphaTap have joined the team as a Sustainability Supplier, and all Desert Vipers staff are now using their wooden business cards, reducing the amount of paper we use as an organisation and having a positive influence on everyone that we exchange details with.
