HSP supports new Environmental Sustainability Commitment

Herts Sport & Physical Activity Partnership (HSP) is part of a network of 43 Active Partnerships in England, whose shared aim is ‘to make sustainable active lifestyles the norm for everyone’.

As a key enabler of change, The Active Partnerships Network has collaborated to launch a new Environmental Sustainability Commitment designed to support a positive sporting legacy and combat climate change, by building a movement for environmental sustainability. All 43 Active Partnerships and the Active Partnerships National Organisation (APNO) have signed up to contribute to this movement.

HSP’s lead for environmental sustainability Adrian Ledbury, speaks on the importance of the commitment:

“As a network, we want to clearly demonstrate our commitment to doing what we can to tackle this huge issue and inspire partners to support the movement for change. This is not a new strategy, as we have Sport England’s Every Move Strategy, which was launched in 2024 to guide the sector, but this is a commitment for us all to act now, and it brings to life what we intend to do and where we think we can have the biggest impact.”

HSP is proactively committed to environmental sustainability and has a Policy, Action Plan and Action Group to steer this work. Key work areas include:

• Supporting Sustainable Sport in Hertfordshire web page containing key information and resources
• A free bid writing service for sport and physical activity projects supporting environmental sustainability
• Achieving ModeShift Stars accreditation - a national accreditation standard for organisations that have demonstrated excellence in supporting walking, cycling, and other forms of sustainable travel by developing and implementing an effective Travel Plan.

Sport England Chair, Chris Boardman, shares his thoughts:

“Those of us that work in sport and physical activity are also embedded in communities and we are connected to more than 75,000 clubs, so when this sector decides to commit to something in this way, we can shine a light on what is and isn’t happening, and we can create a pressure for change. “Our commitment to tackling climate change needs to become an intrinsic part of everything we do.”

Click on this link to read the full Environmental Sustainability Commitment