Slippery Slopes Report

How climate change is threatening the Winter Olympics

Produced in partnership with Loughborough University London

and Protect Our Winters UK.

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Sports for Nature: Setting a Baseline

A UNEP report, authored by many SEG members:

Madeleine Orr, Jack Pippard, Ugo Arbieu, Jonathan Casper, Tim Kellison, Jordan Howell, Walker Ross, Jessica Murfree, Brian McCullough, and Sylvia Trendafilova.

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Research

Here, we cover all research related to sport and the natural environment: the recent, the relevant, the revolutionary.

Our goal is to synthesize sport ecology research in one place, so researchers and practitioners have access to the latest information.

If you would like more information about any of the studies included here, please contact our team!

For students: We will help you find the original work (full length texts). Get in touch.

For academics: if you've published something about - or related to - sport ecology and we've missed it, get in touch.

Note: The SEG does not own the intellectual rights nor copyright to the texts discussed herein. We share summaries of relevant research, and cite the original work, to make academic articles more accessible to people outside the academic community.

This database is searchable - Start here

The carbon footprint of active sport participants (2018)

Dr. Pamela Wicker explored the carbon footprint of adult active sport participants in Germany in 20 different sports and proposed several variables that influence a sport participant's overall carbon footprint: environmental consciousness, gender, income, and education level. The study measured weekly travel activity to practices, league games, competitions, tournaments, and day trips related to participation in sport. The average annual carbon footprint was 844 kg of carbon

The environmental impact of golf (2006)

Drs. Wheeler and Nauright provide an overview of the history of golf and the intricacies of the coupled human-nature relationship on a golf course, followed by a review of the environmental impacts of the sport. First, there are some positive environmental attributes of golf courses: these spaces represent useful and positive recreational land uses, provide wildlife habitats, protect underlying soils from water and wind erosion. However, as golf is linked with nature, many co

Weather Conditions, Travel Distance, Rest, and Running Performance at FIFA 2014 (2017)

Inspired by the increasing public attention being paid to the risk factors of heat and travel effects on football (soccer) performance, these authors studied the impact of heat, travel, and rest time on various performance indicators at the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil. The data set includes all players who appeared in at least one game of the 2014 World Cup (n = 1,777 player-match observations), minus goalkeepers and three players with unusual files. The team-level data wer

A review of the Asia-Pacific sport industry’s environmental sustainability practices (2016)

This study aimed to provide a descriptive market picture of the Asia-Pacific region, specifically, the professional sport industry and its environmental sustainability engagement. 114 teams were examined in seven countries across the Asia-Pacific region; of them, 17 (14.9 %) publicised sustainability efforts. In a similar study of 122 teams in North America, over 90% publicised sustainability efforts. 17 themes emerged: facilities management, energy, climate change, water, pa

Does green management matter for donation intentions? (2013)

This research examined whether a university’s environmental management initiatives can also influence donor behaviors. 309 non-student attendees at a football game were surveyed. Consistent with previous research on this topic, the results confirm that donors' personal disposition towards the environment and attitude toward environmental initiatives predict donation intentions. The authors show that adopting, implementing, and marketing environmental initiatives can positivel

Carbon dioxide emissions of spectators’ transportation (2018)

The carbon footprint is a term used to refer to the total amount of CO2 emissions that are generated by a product, activity, or population. Sport events are known to have large carbon footprints due to the high energy usage of the event, high waste, and travel. The most significant contributor to overall CO2 emissions at sporting events is transport. This study explored carbon emissions (CO2 emissions) vis-a-vis three research questions: 1) How do CO2 emissions differ in an

Carbon dioxide emissions research and sustainable transportation in the sports industry (2018)

This paper discusses the role and significance of CO2 emissions policies and how these ought to influence sport event and facility management. The main sources of CO2 emissions at events are facility operations and transportation (fan transport and team transport). As such, these areas should be given extra attention and mitigated internally, through innovative technologies such as renewable energy sources and electric car charging stations. However, in addition to internal m

Sustainability scholarship and the efforts of the sport sector (2018)

The study aimed to evaluate the state of scholarship on environmental sustainability over an 11-year period (2007–2017) and to determine whether scholarship in this domain is addressing (or not) the efforts of the sport sector using rapid review methodology. A total of 96 peer-reviewed journals were identified and reviewed for manuscripts related to the topic. Results indicated that areas of interest were: performance/evaluation, marketing/communication, fan engagement/behavi

Environmental sustainability in sport: Current state and future trends (2014)

The study provides an overview of current environmental initiatives in the sport industry, providing specific examples from a variety of sport settings and type of organizations. Two major trends are shaping environmental efforts: the focus on reducing the ecological footprint and using sports as a means to raise environmental awareness. Future efforts will be affected by social values and expectations of stakeholders, government intervention, and mandatory requirements for c

Environmental sustainability in sport facilities in East Tennessee (2014)

The study focused on small-scale sport facilities and the type of environmental practices they have in place. More specifically, the objective was to identify challenges associated with the adoption of these practices. Data included semistructured interviews. Results indicated that while in general small scale sport facilities had a recycling program, some with larger capacities had additional programs focusing on energy saving equipment and stations for recharging electrica

Corporate social responsibility and environmental sustainability (2013)

The study focused on the institutional forces shaping environmental sustainability efforts in the major sport leagues in North America. Results indicated that media played a key role in the type and extend to which sport organizations incorporated environmental initiatives within their daily business practices. Data also illustrated some of the benefits related to sustainability efforts such as averting legal recourse, saving money and building stronger relationships with sta

Sport subcultures and their potential for addressing environmental problems (2011)

The study incorporates interviews and field observations, attempting to understand the role sport subcultures could have as a tool to address sustainability issues in recreational settings. Results indicated that while disc golfers lacked knowledge about the negative impact of disc golf on the natural environment, they were strongly attached to the park where they played and were willing to modify the behaviors associated with the negative impact. This emphasizes the importan

A content analysis of ski resort environmental communications (2012)

This study examined the environmental sustainability of ski resorts in the U.S. Specifically, this manuscript focused on the USA ski industry and examined Ski Resorts Environmental Communications (SRECs) stated on each of 82 resort websites. Each website's environmental communications were rated for their prominence, breadth, and depth of environmental categories in the USA Sustainable Slopes Program (SSP) Charter. The resorts were classified as inactive, exploitive, reactive

The environmental legacies of the Olympic Games

Though environmental sustainability has been considered a priority in the Olympic Movement since the 1990s, very little research has explored how 'green' legacies are planned nor managed. This exploratory study drew on ‘insider’ accounts of green legacies of the Olympic Games to generate an understanding of the drivers of green legacies. The study found that the four determinants of green legacies are: 1) the breadth and depth of environmental commitments during the bid proc

The environmental legacies of the Olympic Games (2013)

Behavioural adaptation of skiers to climate change in Ontario (2015)

Using an in-situ survey, this study examined how skiers in Ontario would change their skiing participation patterns if their preferred ski resort were closed due to a lack of snow. The survey focuses on current behavioural responses, rather than decisions based on future scenarios of climate change. Analysis revealed that substitution behaviours differ based on the duration of the ski area closure (e.g. one day, partial season, permanent) and that beginner and infrequent skie

Sustainable surf tourism in a climate of increasing regulation (2015)

The Mentawai Islands in Indonesia are a popular surfing destination. The researchers used interviews and participant observation to explore the politics of surf tourism recreational capacity management in the islands, and the implications for local residents' involvement in the surf tourism economy. The sustainability of the surf tourism sector in the Mentawais was assessed using the five inter-related principles of the Framework Analysis for Sustainable Surf Tourism (FASST),

Water management in sport (2014)

This case study of water management in sport clubs in Australia challenges students to discuss the use of water, the ethics of which facilities should be allotted water, and how the use of those facilities ought to be allocated to various teams. The case is complicated by the prolonged droughts in Australia, both operationally and ethically. CITE: Phillips, P., & Turner, P. (2014). Water management in sport. Sport Management Review, 17(3), 376-389. #sportecology #water #susta

Issues associated with the development of internal sustainability teams (2010)

Despite growing concern and rising awareness of environmental impacts of sport, many managers in the sport sector do not have sustainability management in their job descriptions, nor is environmental sustainability their area of expertise. As such, many organizations form planning and policy-making teams to address sustainability. This paper discussed the forming of a team, assigning a leader, motivating team members, setting goals and timelines, and managing green projects.

Collaboration between sustainability departments and athletics departments (2015)

The study aimed to understand the collaboration efforts (if any) between sustainability offices on college/university campuses and the athletic departments. Interviews with 17 participants were conducted with results indicating the importance of relationship development, communication, decision-making development, collaborative efforts, and challenges associated with the development of relationships between the sustainability offices and the athletic departments. Although the

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NEW! Research Round Ups.

Each time our team members attend an academic conference to present our work, we will aim to share a Round-Up of the relevant new research here.

First installment:

NASSM 2020 Research Round-Up