Inspiration, Innovation, and Urgency: Reflections from the BBC Green Sport Awards

Reflections from Alex Bunce, Marketing and Communications Officer at Active Sussex.

Last night, my colleague David Taylor and I attended the BBC Green Sport Awards at Broadcasting House – a powerful evening that recognised the efforts being made across the world of sport to address climate change.

Three award categories were celebrated: Athlete of the Year, Global Champion, and Pioneer. 

While the awards honoured outstanding individuals and organisations, the evening also served as a wider call to action. 

It was a reminder that, although progress is being made, there is still significant work to be done across the sport and physical activity sector if we are to reduce our environmental impact and help lead the conversation on sustainability and its impact on healthier lives.

One of the most inspiring stories of the night came from close to home. Jog On, a West Sussex-based initiative founded by Tony Piedade, was nominated in the Pioneer category. 

Originally set up in 2009 as Jogging Buddy – a free platform to help people find others to walk or run with – the project evolved in 2020 when Tony became concerned about the number of running shoes ending up in landfills. 

Jog On now collects and redistributes usable trainers to schools, charities and organisations in the UK, Africa and South America. 

Shoes that can’t be reused are incinerated through a certified process to create electricity, keeping them out of landfill. 

In July 2025, Jog On reached a major milestone, having prevented 40 million tonnes of shoes from going to waste. 

With support from the Outdoor Industries Association, the organisation now plans to expand into walking boots and shoes.

While Jog On narrowly missed out on the Pioneer award, won by Formula E, their work is a brilliant example of local innovation with a global impact.

Sport England was also a finalist in the Pioneer category, recognised for its leadership in embedding sustainability into national policy. 

In 2024, Sport England launched its first environmental sustainability strategy, Every Move, which requires all 130 funded partners, including Active Sussex, to have robust sustainability plans in place by March 2027 as a condition of ongoing funding. 

This summer, it went even further, allocating £16 million from its Movement Fund specifically to support green initiatives in sport. 

Community clubs and physical activity groups can now apply for grants ranging from £300 to £15,000 to help improve their environmental impact.

In the Athlete of the Year category, Sussex’s Fran Kirby was nominated for her work with the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). 

Earlier this year, she collaborated with WWF to launch a “Prescription for Nature,” sharing how spending time in natural environments has supported her mental wellbeing. 

A European Championship winner in 2022 and now playing for Brighton, Fran has used her platform to speak out on climate issues, encouraging others to reconnect with the natural world. 

While the award ultimately went to open water swimmer Hector Pardoe, Fran’s advocacy stood out as an important reminder of how elite athletes can influence meaningful conversations beyond the pitch.

The Global Champion award was presented to former Arsenal footballer Héctor Bellerín, recognised for his longstanding environmental activism and contributions to international reforestation and sustainability campaigns.

Events like these not only celebrate individual and organisational achievement but help spark new ideas and reaffirm the need for action across all levels of sport. They show what is possible, and they challenge us to do more.

At Active Sussex, we’ve already started taking steps toward being more sustainable. We prefer virtual meetings over travel and host events in locations local to our audience or near good public transport links. 

We use sustainable medals for our School Games events, wear work clothing made from responsibly sourced materials, and ask the venues we use to avoid single-use cups. These are small steps, but they’re part of a broader shift in how we work.

One idea we’re particularly keen to support is the recycling of old sports kit and shoes – something that’s practical, scalable, and easy for local clubs and schools to adopt. 

But sustainability isn’t only about what we implement. It’s also about what we’re willing to challenge. 

That includes questioning decisions or practices that contradict environmental goals. 

Research shows that young people care deeply about climate change – and rightly so. 

They are the generation that will face its most serious consequences. As we work to get more young people active, we must also involve them in building a greener future.

We know many in our network are already making great progress – whether that’s through car-sharing schemes, avoiding single-use plastic bottles, reusing kit rather than buying new each season, or questioning the environmental credentials of the venues and suppliers they work with.

We’d love to hear more about what you’re doing. Let’s continue to share ideas, celebrate progress, and hold ourselves accountable as we work toward a more sustainable future for sport and create a healthier planet for all of us to live on.