Sustainability in and through university sport
As educational and research institutions, universities have a role model function and responsibility towards their members and society. In accordance with the principle of sustainability, they should fulfil this responsibility for both present and future generations. In order to ensure sustainable development, the three dimensions of ecology, economy and social issues must be given equal consideration in accordance with the three-pillar model.
The promotion of social sustainability has always been one of the central tasks of university sport. If organised and taught appropriately, (university) sport has enormous potential to convey and consolidate values and attitudes that are of great importance for modern, democratic societies. The contribution that sport can make to achieving development and peace, promoting tolerance and respect, and empowering women and young people, individuals and communities, as well as to health, education and social inclusion, is widely recognised.
In addition to the social dimension, however, university sport is increasingly focusing on ecological aspects and, due to its wide reach and multiplier function, raising awareness among university sport users for resource-conserving and sustainable behaviour is becoming increasingly important.
Team GreenSportSquad
In 2024, the student team called GreenSportSquad was founded under the umbrella of the university sports centre and successfully applied for funding for the GRIP Challenge with a project idea.
The aim of the project was to promote the sustainable development of ecological and social aspects at Osnabrück University's sports centre. To this end, various ideas and measures were developed to address the environmental issues of conserving resources, reducing single-use plastic and promoting sustainable consumption in particular, while also raising students' awareness of these issues. The following measures were developed and implemented as part of the project:
- In collaboration with the Environmental Coordinator and the Communications and Marketing department, a
campaign for sustainable behaviour at the sports centre (stickers) was developed and implemented. - Furthermore, various Greenwalk rounds (walks to get to know places of sustainability in Osnabrück) were developed and graphically prepared. In collaboration with the Institute of Sport and Human Movement Sciences, individual greenwalk rounds are currently being combined with gamification elements.
- In cooperation with the Textile Design degree programmeseminars on the upcycling of discarded sports materials were offered.
- To prevent premature wear and tear on materials, video tutorials were created on how to set up and handle sports materials carefully. The tutorials can be accessed via QR codes on the sports equipment.
- The sports centre was equipped with a refill station .
- A bicycle repair station was installed on the forecourt of the sports centre.
Together with a sustainability project by TU Berlin, the Osnabrück project was also documented in the following video by Steffen Teichert:
What happens next?
As part of the project, numerous good ideas and measures on the topic of sustainability were initiated and contacts were made that are to be further developed and expanded beyond the end of the project. For example
- the video tutorials to promote resource-conserving use of sports equipment and materials will be further developed in collaboration with the Institute of Sport and Exercise Science,
- regular flea markets and swap meets for sportswear will be held at the sports centre,
- in cooperation with the Green Office, the forecourt in front of the university sports office will be redesigned with sustainability in mind.
If you have any other ideas on the topic of sustainability in university sports, please let us know.