In sport, like in life, it’s often the small, incremental changes, rather than the grand, long-term goals, that make the biggest difference. Every little helps as the saying goes.

This approach was put front and centre by Sport England Chair, Chris Boardman, speaking at the Blue Earth Summit in Bristol this week. He announced a new climate-based approach to funding that would ‘move from a position of inform and encourage to one of enable and require’.

In short, future funding from the public body will be dependent on each sport demonstrating a real and practical commitment to fighting climate change. With £300 million to distribute to everyone from national bodies, such as the RFU and Cricket England, to grassroots organisations, this change of policy should have a real impact.

Sport needs to step up

Speaking to The Guardian ahead of his summit speech, Boardman explained the organisation’s new stance. “Sport England has huge influence over hundreds of partners and millions of people,” he said. “We have a responsibility to do something (about climate change), and we’re going to do it.”

The body will be encouraging sports organisations to take practical, measurable steps, right now, to protect the environment, rather than talking in terms of goals set for decades ahead. “Rather than set a large target, years in the future, we are asking what small things we can do now and what will that add up to?” said Boardman. “I suspect it will be an awful lot.”

Small actions add up

Here at Think Hire, we couldn’t agree more with Boardman’s take on tackling climate change. It’s all well and good for the Government to set a target of net zero by 2050, but we know that to achieve that, we need to start making changes right now. As Boardman says, we need to stop talking about climate change and start doing something about it, making those small changes that add up to an awful lot.

For example, you may not think that changing your site lighting to solar flood lights makes that much difference on a global scale. After all, solar flood lights only save a tiny fraction of the total carbon output of UK construction sites. But change has to start somewhere, and it has to start now.

If every site changed to solar flood lights, instead of running off the mains or using polluting diesel generators, the cumulative effect would be massive. And solar flood lights are just one of dozens of small changes that Think Hire can help your site to make.

The status quo is not an option

Boardman summed up the challenge facing us all when he said that “the status quo is not an option”. Climate action is not needed by 2050, it’s needed right now, and Think Hire are here to help you take that action today.

To find out more about solar flood lights, and the wide range of other ways Think Hire can help you make a difference to your site today, get in touch with our team on 0330 133 2222, or complete the contact form online.

As Chris Boardman says, fighting climate change is not just about the final whistle, it needs to kick off right now.