AMIENS UNIVERSITE CLUB ATHLETISME
AMIENS UNIVERSITE CLUB ATHLETISME
Amiens UC Athlétisme is a sports association practicing traditional athletics for competition, for high level, for leisure, for nature (trail), for out-of-stadium races, for health (Nordic walking, accompanied running and fitness).
Field of activity
Sports
Work team
5 employess and 75 volunteers
City
Amiens
Website / Social media
https://amiensuc-athletisme.jimdo.com/
Good ecological practices
The association set itself the goal of reducing the carbon footprint of activities related to the running of the structure and the activities offered to users. The approach is global and concerns purchases, waste, energy flows and mobility.
On the purchasing side :
purchase reconditioned body-building equipment.
buy eco-cups for the events and biodegradable cups (bio plastic from corn) for the runners at the halfway point and at the finish.
purchase fruit (to replace cereal bars).
make water available by filling jerry cans with a garden hose for the refreshment stands during the sports events. Water flasks were also given to the children to avoid using plastic water bottles.
have their own sports shirts made by a local service provider (Les Olympiades).
On the waste side, the actions are to:
sort plastic, glass and paper and when the waste is not collected directly go to the containers provided by the city.
limit printing and use scrap paper whenever possible. For example, for the GA, the annual report is only sent by email. Competition results are available online.
compost bio-waste at sporting events
organize sportswear take-back stands at events.
On the energy side:
lower the heating.
install a presence detector in the rooms.
On the side of mobility:
reimburse the mileage rate according to the number of people in the car to encourage carpooling
What was the trigger?
The desire to take an ecological approach came from the management committee, which wanted to reduce the cost of transport for competition trips. It was then the administrative secretary (employee) who observed daily malfunctions. These bad practices concerned the heating, the lights, the selective sorting, etc.
Running the project
Since the beginning of the process, the reflections on the changes of practices are brought within the management committee of the association. However, the approach is largely supported by an employee – administrative secretary – sensitive to the issue of global warming.
Keys of success
- have the support of the association’s management in changing practices
- be supported by Maison des Associations d’Amiens in the implementation of eco-responsible practices and in connecting with partners
- communicate regularly with members on the ini- tiatives undertaken by the Club and on eco-gestures.
- actively search for local partners to facilitate changes in practices, notably with regard to purchasing.
Encountered barriers
The employee who testifies regrets that there is not enough individual action among the members, especially for waste sorting. She also mentions several obstacles for the purchase of sports equipment: the equipment must be certified, but the only provider on the market does not have an ecological approach and there is little reconditioned sports equipment available on the market. When the association bought standard jerseys, it was also obliged to buy a whole series of jerseys at the latest every 4 years for the Olympiads, because the provider regularly changes the model. It therefore decided to have its own shirts made. Concerning the lighting system of the gymnasium, the administrative heaviness of the city, which owns the premises, slows down the steps to change practices. Some initiatives are not supported by public institutions. For example, the association had proposed free buses for the runners of an event which gathered 4000 participants but the city did not give its agreement. Finally, the association has difficulties in identifying partners (notably service providers) to accelerate changes in practices.
Measures of change
The actions to improve the ecological practices of the association have allowed to create new partnerships for purchases. The volunteers of the association who organize the events are initiated to the good practices of the association for the purchase of paper cups for example.
