About>Environmental Sustainability

Environmental Sustainability

Defined as “The ability to maintain an ecological balance in our planet’s natural environment and conserve natural resources to support the wellbeing of current and future generations”.

Active Partners Trust’s Commitment to Environmental Sustainability:

Our Statement:

Together with our partners, we are working to address inequality and empower everyone to be active in a way that works for them. This shared vision is set out in Making Our Move and guides our approach to climate change and environmental sustainability in Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire, aligning to Sport England’s Every Move Strategy. As an organisation we will take internal action to improve our own environmental performance. We will share our ambitions, our actions and learning. We will use our collective influence to drive progress and to support our partners to make changes too.

We recognise the connection between moving more, climate change and environmental sustainability. It can be really positive. Generally speaking, moving more – particularly outdoors – not only connects us more to nature but can help us reduce our carbon footprint, providing sustainable form of travel, reducing our energy use, and lessening our dependence on services and products to stay healthy.

It can however, also have a negative impact on the environment and on climate change. We often travel by car to participate in activity; facilities demand resources to build and energy to run; kit equipment is often disposable or quickly replaced and made of plastic; and single use plastic water bottles used by people during activity have a negative impact on the world around us. We’re also seeing seeing the impact of climate change on sport and physical activity experiences in extreme weather, such as flooding and extreme heat.

It’s essential that, in all our aims and actions, we consider sustainable solutions, looking at ways to minimise environmental impact and encourage environmentally friendly behaviors.

Our role is to:

Take internal action to improve our own environmental performance and will openly share our journey and learning with partners.
Work to ensure partners understand how they can play their part and have the capacity to contribute to the collective vision, to realise a positive and regenerative physical activity sector.
Use our collective influence to drive progress.
Work with communities and those engaged in planning, delivering and managing environments, to create and maintain high-quality spaces that encourage people to move more, enhance biodiversity and reduce emissions and the impact of climate change.

We will produce an action plan which provides further detail about how this will be delivered and how success will be measured. This will be reviewed in 2027.

Glossary of terms

Biodiversity

The variety of plant and animal life in the world or in a particular place. Biodiversity is essential for planetary and societal health; we rely on it to survive. ‘Biodiversity loss’ is the decline or disappearance of species.

Carbon Footprint

An annual inventory of an organisation’s greenhouse gas(GHG) emissions.

Net Zero

(according to the Science-Based Targets Initiative, Net-Zero Standard) emissions reductions of 90–95%, balancing the residual 5–10% emissions with carbon removals.

Circular Economy

An alternative to our current ‘linear’ materials and waste system(take-waste-dispose). In a circular economy waste is substantially reduced and materials are circulated throughout the economy at their highest value and utility.

Climate Justice

According to Climate Just UK, climate justice relates to concerns about the inequitable outcomes for different people and places associated with vulnerability to climate impacts and the fairness of policy and practice responses to address climate change and its consequences.

Climate Resilience

The ability to anticipate, prepare for, and respond to hazardous events or disturbances related to climate change (e.g. floods, extreme weather).Includes adaptation to climate change, resilience to adverse climate events, and community climate preparedness.

Nature Recovery

The protection and restoration of wildlife-rich habitats. Local Nature Recovery Strategies (LNRS) are anew way of prioritising nature needs on a more local and focused level.

Just Transition

A ‘just transition’ for the sport and physical activity sector means transitioning to a low-carbon economy in a way that’s fair to everyone, and where the benefits are shared widely.

Carbon Neutral

Achieving a balance between the greenhouse gases put into the atmosphere and those taken out.

Regenerative

A regenerative approach goes beyond ‘sustainability’ (doing less bad) to having a net positive impact on the environment and society; approaches that are truly beneficial for humans and restorative for nature.

Carbon Offsets (and insets)

Refers to a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions or an increase in carbon storage (within own supply chain) that is used to compensate for emissions that occur elsewhere.

*As defined by Sport England’s Every Move Sustainability Strategy and Action Plan- May 2024

Active Environments

Environmental Sustainability is closely linked with the Active Environment work that we do.

Active Environments are green, blue and urban (grey) spaces where people can be active. We aim to ensure that these spaces are walkable by being safe, accessible, stimulating and connected to nature.

More about Active Environment