The Green Sports department
Promotes environmental conservation through sports.
Green Africa Foundation is the prestigious winner of the IOC Award, as the first organization in Africa to promote environmental conservation through sports.
The Foundation was the lead organizer of the 35th IAAF World Cross Country in Mombasa.
The activities involved in the Green Sports are:
- Awareness creation during sporting events
- Promotion of sustainable sports in Africa
- Tree-planting exercises within sports grounds and schools.
- Establishing of Sports Ambassadors to promote environmental conservation efforts of Green Africa Foundation.
- Partnership with sports organization
Sports is closely connected to the environment; a clean and safe environment for clean sports. Sports have an impact on the environment and therefore it is important to reduce and reverse the negative effects.
The department promotes environmental sustainable development in sports in the country. This has been achieved through a set of guidelines that enable sports organizers raise environmental awareness in sporting events, ensure proper waste management and promoting environmentally friendly sports.
ACHIEVEMENTS
a. IOC AWARD on Sports and Environment
The Foundation was awarded as the winner of the prestigious IOC Award on Sports and Environment in Africa 2009.
The achievement was for the department’s tremendous efforts in making the
35th IAAF World Cross Country Championships in Mombasa 2007 a green event. Green Africa Foundation was awarded for its initiative on environmental sustainability through sports, in close cooperation with the UNEP, was considered by the IAAF as having set precedent for all future IAAF events.
b. Kitui Green Cross Country
Green Africa Foundation in conjunction with Athletics Kenya organized a Cross Country event on 6th January 2007 launched the Kitui Green Cross Country at Kitui High School, Kitui District.
This event culminated with a grand Tree planting exercise where all athletes and officials planted a tree. Other environmental activities of the day included collecting all the non bio-degradable material at the venue the use of environmental friendly material to mark the route, the presence of an environmental resources centre and all prizes to the various winners were environmental related.
c. 2008 5th Africa Canoe-Kayak Championships
Green Africa Foundation was the lead organizer of the event and carried out environmental conservation awareness campaigns and promoted sustainable
sports.
d. C. A.A. Safaricom African Senior Athletics Championships
The 17th C.A.A. Senior Athletics Championships involved over 50 African Nations and drew thousands of spectators during the five day event, in Nairobi.Green Africa Foundation, worked towards reducing the carbon emission generated during the event. The Foundation was charged with raising awareness on observing green practices; organizers and volunteers were trained on proper waste disposal, energy saving and water usage.The end of the event was marked by a tree-planting exercise by IAAF President Laime Diack, African Athletics Confederation (C.A.A.) President, Chairperson Athletics Kenya Isaiah Kiplaghat, Green Africa Foundation’s Green Sports Ambassador Lornah Kiplaghat and Green Africa Foundation staff.
Projects in the Sports Department
1. Partnerships with Sports Organizations
Green Africa Foundation has forged partnerships with various sports institutions in Kenya, to promote environmental awareness through sports. For example:
a. Kenya Table Tennis Association,
Every year Green Africa Foundation and Kenya Table Tennis Association (KTTA), plant trees during national and regional championships held throughout the country
b. Athletics Kenya
The 2008 All Africa Games Medalists plant trees at the Kasarani Complex Grounds
c. The International Sports Academy of Kenya
The ISAK held a basketball clinic in November 2009, at the Kenya Railways Sports Club. Last years clinic was a green event, and Green Africa Foundation as the environmental partner conducted a tree-planting exercise at the sports club.
d. Kenyan athletes of Salzburg AMREF marathon 2010
Green Africa Foundation trained Kenyan Athletes participating at the Salzburg AMREF marathon, on green practices and planted ceremonial trees at the AMREF headquarters.
The Salzburg AMREF Marathon is not just an outstanding sports event, but also a charity event. Money raised will go towards supporting projects run by AMREF, with focus on promoting maternal health and reducing the number of women who die in pregnancy and childbirth.
2. Sports and Environmental Ambassadors
Our Goodwill Sports Ambassadors: Lornah Kiplagat and recently Edwin Moses have also been instrumental in promoting our efforts towards environmental awareness and green practices wherever they visit.
3. Promoting Cycling as a Sport
Cycling as a sport in Kenya is unpopular, mostly because its considered an expensive sport and the attitude that bicycles are useful for transportation only and not for sports.
Through the Green Bicycle Project we promote sports as an environmentally friendly sport; that enhances healthy living and as income generating sport. A Green Bicycle Challenge will be held each year among participating schools and community groups.
The Green Bicycle Project was launched June 2009, in partnership with the Japan Bicycle Parking Facility. To enhance rural community mobility and enable people access schools, hospitals, town centres and socially interact. In return the beneficiaries of the project engage in extensive tree-planting in the community and observe environmentally friendly practices in their every day living.
