18.

The Canadian wildfire crisis and its side effects.

Today, I ran on a treadmill for 45 minutes. Seems like something normal to do…
For most, yes. For me, it’s not. I run nearly every day in some manner, mostly outdoors and definitely not so long on a treadmill. I probably haven’t run on a treadmill for 45 minutes since high school where I was required to do so.


Who cares, right?


Well…perhaps we should all care a little bit. My workouts this week are all indoors. The air quality in the New Jersey area is so poor that wearing a mask is strongly recommended when going outside. But let’s take a step back.


Growing up, and especially over the last few years, I understood (from a distance) that climate change is a dominating global issue. In the media over the last twenty years,

we’ve all read about melting ice caps or seen projections or models of cities like New York City underwater due to rising sea levels. In the news, we are confronted yearly with more extreme droughts in California or more powerful hurricanes in the southeast corner of the US. With time, I’ve become increasingly concerned for our planet and our lives and consequently increasingly interested in taking action. I had personally seen, from a first-world perspective, how our planet was being affected: less snow in the winter, shorter skiing seasons, longer periods of extreme heat or drought in the summer, etc. However, these did not directly change my day-to-day life.

Until now.

 

Before I begin, I’d like to note that I am well aware that even this issue I am writing about only marginally affects my daily life. I am not directly in danger and my access to food and water is not at risk. I am writing this to demonstrate or narrate the story of how someone who thought they were very environmentally conscious realizes that they really aren’t (me). In doing so, I hope that we all have a more complete understanding of the effects and gravity of climate change…before it’s too late.

 

Let’s jump back in.

Wildfires in Canada are normal; they happen every year and are even beneficial to renew portions of Canada’s dense forests. This year, however, numerous factors have led to a particularly aggressive wildfire season. Temperatures in parts of Canada last month were on average seven degrees higher than those of a typical Canadian May. Coupled with extensive periods of drought, the prerequisites for a dangerous wildfire season were in place.

A few weeks later, there are more than 400 active wildfires across Canada, over half of them labeled “out of control,” resulting in about 9.4 million acres of burned forestland and evacuations of 20,000+ Canadians.

 

Ok, cool, but you are not in Canada.

 

The extent of the wildfires along with the right wind conditions and pressure conditions have pushed a blanket of fine particles and wildfire pollution some hundreds of miles away to the east coast and to a low altitude that affects daily life. The most affected areas in terms of air quality are states in the Northeast such as Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, among others, where blankets of ozone and fine particle pollution make it dangerous to breathe outdoors. For instance, the Air Quality Index in New York City on Wednesday exceeded 400, whereas the typical level in the already-polluted city hovers around 50.

 

Sepia…but this is not Instagram.

 

Where I am in New Jersey, the skies have a Sepia-filter-hue…but it’s reality and not Instagram. During the day, there’s an orange taint, shadows around trees that resemble the light at sunset, not of a June day at noon. A blood orange sun is easy to look at, something that would normally blind you for a few seconds, through the polluted skies that would otherwise be a cloudless blue.

 

It’s sad and scary. Not life-threatening as of yet but it is a wake-up call and perhaps foreshadowing to a near-future reality we all have to come to terms with.

 

Let’s fast forward.

 

Yesterday was a bit better. Clouds were distinguishable through the pollution. The wildfires in Canada have not seized or even calmed down and people are still evacuated but the winds have given us a look into normality again. In a few weeks, this will all be forgotten for those not dealing with loss of home or community. The sun will shine brightly again and the sky will be blue. The temperatures will rise and people on the east coast will go back to running outside or going to the beach. People will forget the brief and gloomy glimpse we had into a future where we run on treadmills and wear masks to go outdoors instead of indoors. A future that now seems much more possible now than 72 hours ago.

 

I’m not sure this is a message that can be effectively transmitted via words. I think it might be a realization triggered solely through personal experience and the physical senses: the sight of an orange sky, the stinging and tearing of the eyes, the smell of some far-away fire or the dry throat that accompanies it. I don’t think anything would have changed for me if someone from a distant place told me about his or her direct encounter with present-day climate change. But I’d like to try. And so I write this not to instill fear but to try to mobilize those who might receive this message and realize that we have to change, fast.

17.

OPPORTUNITIES FOR ALL: ENVIRONMENT & CLUB

Maximizing potential.

The main beneficiary of environmental or ecological sustainability measures is – and should always be – the environment itself. That is clear. In addition to the positive contribution to environmental and climate protection, such measures also offer further opportunities and potentials that can be utilized by the respective parties.

Potential in sports clubs.
Sporting organizations may not be among the most environmentally harmful actors on our planet, but the various sports, associations, and clubs do have a certain environmental relevance. Clubs are, however, particularly among the social forces that are capable of taking on a role model function and deliberately influencing their audience. In terms of communication and marketing within a club, a public commitment to ecological sustainability and the implementation of externally visible measures offer, among other things, a special visibility for fans or general population as well as sponsors. This potential can be of particular importance, especially when clubs cannot market sporting success as a constant and want to stand for more than just their sport in public.


Take a sustainable position and benefit from it.
The result for a sustainable sporting organization or club is ideal. Through appropriate positioning, commitment to a better environment, and suitable communication to the outside, clubs will attract mainly those people who share the environmental idea and respectful coexistence. Thus, sporting clubs also become more attractive to future generations and like-minded people, and become a central factor in recruiting future members. In addition, all of this may even translate to monetary advantages as the audience or market defines the income from sponsors or investors.


Therefore, clubs must seize the opportunities to strengthen ecological sustainability. For the future of sports clubs and for the future of our environment. For all of us.

16.

GOOD HABITS FOR ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY

You are what you eat.

Veganism and vegetarianism have been gaining popularity in recent years, and for good reason. Not only are they healthier for individuals, but they also have a positive impact on the environment. Additionally, there is growing evidence that plant-based diets can have a positive impact on athletic performance. In this blog post, we will explore these topics in more detail.

Environmental Impact

One of the primary reasons why people choose to adopt a vegan or vegetarian lifestyle is for its positive impact on the environment. Livestock farming is a significant contributor to greenhouse gas emissions, deforestation, water pollution, and soil degradation. By reducing or eliminating animal products from our diets, we can reduce our carbon footprint and help mitigate the effects of climate change.

According to a study published in the journal Nature, a vegan diet produces the lowest greenhouse gas emissions of all diets studied. The study also found that a vegetarian diet is significantly less environmentally harmful than a meat-based diet. By switching to a plant-based diet, we can help reduce greenhouse gas emissions, conserve water, and preserve natural resources.


Athletic Performance

While some people may believe that a vegan or vegetarian diet cannot provide enough nutrients for athletic performance, this is not necessarily the case. In fact, there is growing evidence that plant-based diets can provide all the necessary nutrients for optimal athletic performance.

A study published in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition found that a plant-based diet can provide all the necessary nutrients for athletes, including protein, iron, and calcium. Additionally, plant-based diets can provide more antioxidants, which can help reduce inflammation and improve recovery time.

There are many examples of athletes who follow a plant-based diet and have achieved great success. Professional tennis player Venus Williams and professional basketball player Kyrie Irving are just two of many good examples of successful athletes who follow a plant-based diet.


Conclusion

In conclusion, veganism or vegetarianism, athletic performance and environmental sustainability are not mutually exclusive. By reducing our consumption of animal products, we can help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and preserve natural resources. Additionally, plant-based diets may even provide some advantages over traditional meat-based diets. If you are considering adopting a plant-based diet, be sure to consult with a healthcare professional to ensure that you are getting all the necessary nutrients for optimal health and performance.

15.

MEASURING ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY

The basis of all measures.

Environmental sustainability means adopting far-sighted and considerate use of natural resources. If a company or even a sports club takes appropriate measures in terms of environmental sustainability, it stands to reason that these activities should also be evaluated in terms of the progress made from a certain point. And before we can begin implementing sustainable solutions in practice, we need to define this point, the starting point.

Ecological sustainability, however, is hard to grasp in simple terms. It is a non-tangible construct that is difficult to measure an intrinsic value, an inner attitude, and includes factors such as species conservation, the development and use of renewable energies, and greenhouse gas emissions. One thing is clear: making these and other aspects of environmental sustainability measurable in a single metric doesn't work.


A starting point.

In order to quantify ecological sustainability, it makes most sense to start looking at processes that are harmful to the climate; processes that are particularly carbon-intensive, energy-intensive, water-intensive or those that produce large amounts of waste.

For an honest assessment of the ecological impact of their own business activities, companies can, for example, start with their own CO2 footprint to see what quantities of CO2 or CO2-equivalent are actually generated by their daily business activities. The CO2 footprint and other key figures, such as energy and water consumption, can then form the basis for concrete sustainability measures by identifying improvement areas and subsequently assessing which measures can realistically be implemented. Additionally, they are useful by rendering tracking possible, allowing us to set targets and take steps toward these targets.


Finding the right approach.

Analyzing activities and processes that have an impact on the climate is, of course, not part of the day-to-day business of a sporting organization. Most of the time, neither the expertise nor the time is available to conduct a thorough inventory and evaluate. That is why we are here. Together with our partner companies, we put your organization through a shakedown - in terms of environmental sustainability - and perform a professional sustainability check. In this way, we find an individual approach for your club and use this as a basis to show the possibilities for a greener future.

14.

Best Practice:
FC Internationale Berlin

Sustainability in amateur football.

Thinking and acting sustainably is something that concerns us all. However, the responsibility is readily shifted to politics or large corporations and companies. The situation is similar in sports: often, it’s the larger, professional sports clubs that are expected to address the issue. However, the amateur football club, FC Internationale Berlin, is the exception to the rule. They are setting the example in 

the amateur sports world on how to set out on a path to a more sustainable and greener future.


As the first amateur club in Germany with a sustainability certification, granted by TÜV Rheinland, the club takes a holistic approach to the great issues of our time. The basis of the amateur club's sustainable orientation is, in particular, the establishment of a "Sustainability" working group, which deals with relevant issues, goals, possible solutions and practical implementations in the three sustainability segments – focused on the United
Nations’ sustainability goals and with a constant focus on the United Nations' sustainability goals.

On the environmental side of things, FC Internationale Berlin has already made important steps such as the measuring of CO2 emissions and their compensation, the gradual conversion to a fair and environmentally-friendly fan store, the transition to exclusively organic products as well as vegetarian and vegan alternatives, or internal educational work and workshops. The club demonstrates its commitment to sustainability by also integrating it in its club bylaws.

The journey goes on.

The club also wants to stick to its sustainability action plan and build on it in the future. In addition to the creation of a foundation to finance sustainable projects, the club has the long-term development of plastic-free, recyclable artificial turf pitches on its agenda.

As a reference in this sector, FC Internationale Berlin can carry the flag of sustainability action to a wider audience and prove that an individual path for more sustainable thinking and acting is also possible in non-professional amateur sports clubs.


More of this, please!

13.

RECOGNIZING THE OPPORTUNITIES

Sustainability as a precaution.

The ongoing crises of recent years have shown us that sport, too, must move with the times and cannot ignore the many challenges of our modern world. The coronavirus, for example, has changed sport as we have known it to date and forced sports organizations to take new paths and organize operations in a new and, above all, crisis-proof way.

Keyword crisis: The climate crisis, which is becoming more and more noticeable to us, will also leave its mark on the life of sports and demand action. In order to be able to continue to take part in sporting activities without restriction in the future, to be able to guarantee the necessary infrastructure, the means and ultimately the space to practice, clubs must now start to unite sporting and sustainable development.


Sustainability as a service of general interest.

Many clubs have already recognized the opportunities of sustainability and have begun to develop approaches and methods that will make their organization fit for the future in ecological and economic terms. Nevertheless, in many clubs, the opportunity is not seen immediately, but rather the risk, financial costs and supposed extra work. Due to limited financial resources, investments in (environmental) sustainability, especially in the amateur sector, do not appear to make sense at first glance, and sustainability is shelved for the time being. A big mistake.


But the opportunities are huge.

The most powerful argument for sustainability in sports clubs is that of cost. On many levels, switching to more energy-efficient processes or renewable energy can save a lot of costs in the long run. Or let's put it this way: in a time of energy crises and rising gas and electricity prices, not investing in the future will cost more money than investing in environmental solutions today. So environmental sustainability also means economic sustainability.


Every club can do something.

In every sports club - whether grassroots, competitive or professional - opportunities can be identified that reduce the environmental footprint or resource consumption and are profitable in the long run. At elevengreen, we help identify the opportunities, find customized, more sustainable solutions and implement them, all of this catered to your club’s needs and means.

The greenest football
clubin the world

12.

Best Practice:
FOREST GREEN ROVERS

Bildquelle: https://www.fgr.co.uk/eco-park

The role and effect of role models is obvious: they give orientation, provide directional and idealized patterns, create identification, encourage imitation and inspire individuals or entire communities to act or think in a certain way.

Especially in sports, people look to athletes as role models. Due to the special social relevance of sports, however, not only individual players but also entire sports organizations have a role model function and more or less take on the responsibility of adapting to an ecologically sustainable future.


The pioneers in football.

Probably the best example of how ecological sustainability can be implemented in a sports club in a comprehensive way is that of the English football club Forest Green Rovers. The United Nations and FIFA award-winning football club from the town of Nailsworth in the west of England makes it clear that success on the pitch can go hand in hand with an environmentally sustainable vision for the future.

For the football world, Rovers wants to be an example in the areas of energy, production, nutrition and transport: since 2015, the stadium concessions and meals provided for the players have been exclusively plant-based, rainwater is collected for lawn care and no pesticides are used for fertilization. The entire electricity needed is sourced from green energies, a significant proportion of which is generated by the stadium's own solar panels on the stadium’s roof. Players drive electric cars and travel to away matches in all-electric buses.

With these and other measures, the club has already been able to significantly reduce its carbon footprint and attract football fans from all over the world, independent of its sporting successes. As a result, FGR boasts over 100 fan clubs in 20 countries around the world. Quite a feat for a third level side.


On a mission.

However, the club's biggest project is yet to come: the Eco Park - the world's first stadium made entirely of sustainably-grown wood and with the lowest carbon footprint ever. Construction of the future venue has already been approved and construction will begin in the next few years.


A counter design to other clubs. And a role model.

What may sound like a sustainable utopia to some clubs is a reality in this football club from England. The Forest Green Rovers "play" the game of sustainability in football at the very highest level, and in doing so, prove that it can be done and show how it can be done.


Let's see Forest Green Rovers as a source of inspiration, as practical proof that professional sports are compatible with environmental sustainability, and let's start emulating this example now - no matter how small the steps.

11.

THE WAY TO CLIMATE NEUTRALITY

The journey is the goal.

Climate neutrality is rightly a major goal in international climate policy. There is still a lack of action and recognition of the urgency in some places, but achieving climate neutrality is now part of political laws and agreements worldwide. The European Union, for example, has set out on the path in the form of its "Green Deal" and has set itself the ambitious goal of becoming a climate-neutral continent by 2050.

Targets are important, sure. But actively addressing and achieving the climate targets set requires action and, above all, change. If we still want to achieve the energy transition in time, achieving climate neutrality is essential. But first we need to understand how to get there.


The path to get there.

To achieve climate neutrality, there are basically two approaches: avoid/reduce & offset.

Reducing or, in the best case, avoiding one's own emissions is the most impactful course of action. To avoid emissions altogether is a very ambitious goal, and the gradual reduction of emissions seems more realistic at first. The purchase of green electricity, the use of public transport and electric vehicles, and a plant-based diet are just some of the potential starting points.


If greenhouse gas emissions from climate-impacting activities and processes cannot be completely avoided, they can still be made climate-neutral through compensation. Central to this are the so-called natural "sinks", such as soils, forests or oceans, which, as carbon dioxide reservoirs, regulate a large proportion of the greenhouse gases emitted. In the form of sinks or reforestation projects, which finance additional and permanent carbon sinks somewhere on earth, CO2 can be removed from the atmosphere in the long term and the emissions emitted elsewhere can be compensated.


In addition to natural sinks, however, another important compensation tool is available: offsetting emissions based on savings elsewhere. Examples of this are investments in renewable energies and the co-financing of corresponding projects to obtain clean and low-emission technologies. This is where avoidance and compensation come full circle.


The good news.

Fortunately, unlike air pollution, it does not matter where greenhouse gases enter our atmosphere or where they are offset. Because of the even distribution of gases, any kind of offsetting anywhere in the world is also helpful in setting the course for climate neutrality.


For a greener future.



10.

CLIMATE NEUTRALITY

Keeping the balance.

States, companies, municipalities and even associations are talking more and more about wanting to become climate neutral in the future. Whether printed on products in supermarkets or stated in public communications, climate and neutrality are increasingly being used as advertising arguments, with terms such as climate-neutral, CO2-neutral or greenhouse gas-neutral being unconsciously mixed up and their vagueness being exploited.

This is what climate neutrality really means.

Although the term itself is not strictly defined in the scientific community, there is agreement that climate neutrality describes a state in which human activities have no "net effect" on our planet's climate system. Such activities include all climate-impacting emissions (such as greenhouse gasses), actions intended to remove greenhouse gasses from the atmospheric cycle, and lastly, human-induced activities that have regional or local biogeophysical effects, such as the sealing of surfaces by roads. The climate is not affected - the balance is maintained.


Let's be specific.

When it comes to climate catastrophe and the approach to this global challenge, ambiguity about the understanding and meaning of relevant terminology such as "climate neutral" is misplaced. For this reason, the Federal Environment Agency also recommends that the terms climate neutrality and greenhouse gas neutrality should not be used interchangeably. After all, being greenhouse gas neutral means "only" a net zero of greenhouse gas emissions and does not include all other effects of human activity on the climate. Therefore, a greenhouse gas neutral activity is not necessarily climate neutral. It is the same with carbon neutrality: this refers only to the fact that no CO2 is emitted or that carbon dioxide emissions are fully offset. Carbon-neutral is therefore not the same as climate-neutral, because undesirable effects on the climate can still occur due to other greenhouse gases. Strictly speaking, CO2-neutral or greenhouse gas-neutral solutions are therefore not automatically climate-neutral - but they are nevertheless important and must be addressed.


Let's set off together.

09.

ACCEPT THE RESPONSIBILITY.

Accept the societal role.

Let’s accept the societal role we inherently have.

As a professional or amateur sporting club, one plays a certain societal role that varies from sport to sport, level to level, and club to club. As a professional club, for instance, one carries a big responsibility to the public as an icon, a representation of something bigger. The audience that spends every weekend in a stadium or in front 

of their TVs watching is consciously and/or subconsciously affected by the values they receive from their club. As an amateur club, one carries a responsibility to its own actors, to its players. In a way, an amateur club serves as a social setting and the ambiance of a club also relays a certain message.


People identify themselves with a sport, with a club, or even with a player. Sport serves as a vehicle to transmit values and unite people of all cultures under one umbrella. In doing so, sports become a platform that can influence people of all generations and cultures.

The existence of this platform is independent of our desire to become a platform and rather a direct product from the audience that sports create. It also happens to be the largest, most global platform in the world.

So what do we do? Our duty is to transmit the proper values. Respect for all. Our environment as well.

Among other themes, environmental sustainability is a must in sports. In acting more environmentally-friendly, we send a message to our audience that it is a value that we endorse. It is not our duty to follow, but rather to lead. Let’s make a change, let’s stand for something meaningful. Together.

08.

IT'S NOT THAT SIMPLE.

Why a wholesome approach is required.

We live in a global society. Everything we do is interconnected in countless various ways. Our social interactions are a mere click away. Our business dealings are neverending chains. Information is limitless.

Environmental issues are no different. Our environmental approach or environmental sustainability in general can no longer be considered as an individual entity. In order to tackle this issue, we need a wholesome understanding of our global society. Of our interconnected ecosystems but also our interconnected economies.

Let's look at energy policy, for instance, in Europe. More specifically, in Germany. Our rejection of certain energy sources has led us to a dependence on Russian natural gas. A policy made with undoubtedly good intentions but with very dangerous consequences. As we approach winter and low temperatures, we face energy prices that might delve us into at best, an economic recession and at worst, an economic depression. The supply chain effects are endless. A recession or depression and the resulting "short-term survival mode" our global economies enter will have negative effects on science and technology and on climate protection efforts.  


This is why ElevenGreen always takes the business or financial side of our sustainable actions into account. Healthy environmental action implies a functioning business model. To build long-term success, we have to account for more than just first order repercussions.

The current circumstances and global dependencies seen in our current energy policies is just one of many examples. It is necessary, therefore, to take a wholesome approach to any environmental protection endeavor. At ElevenGreen, we gather the scenarios and make models while seeing the big picture.

It's a process.

07.

WHERE DO WE CREATE AN IMPACT

There's a whole lot of debate whether the professional sports world is doing enough to mitigate climate change and have a positive impact. Many people feel there's too much talk and not enough action. Others feel that raising awareness is the best possible action. Let's take a closer look and search inwards to see how we feel about the most effective way of fighting climate change.


First off, there are two ways to have an impact in the fight against climate change. Action and communication. So which is more effective and where do we feel we can push the envelope the most efficiently?

There's no denying that in the top-level professional sports world there is an asymmetrical payoff when it comes to communication. Every message reaches millions through online presence, social media, word-of-mouth, etc. So how to we maximize our impact? Where does communication and raising awareness take precedence and where do we push for more action?


At ElevenGreen, we recognize that a top-tier football club, for instance, can make more of an impact raising awareness about climate change than it does by simply reducing its own carbon emissions. Reducing the sport world's carbon footprint is a HUGE step toward a healthier planet. In doing so, we improve ONE industry. In communicating with millions of people and raising awareness, however, we cross industry lines and affect a much larger scope of industries. There's the asymmetry.


On a smaller level or in amateur sports, the difference between impact through communication and impact through action is much smaller. Here we prioritize making meaningful changes in the operations of a club to reduce its own carbon footprint. Communication afterwards is not forgotten but is more of a tool to improve a social image. Here we find that the impact through communication and impact through action are almost equally strong.


THESE ARE NOT MUTUALLY EXCLUSIVE.

We believe in cleaning up one's backyard is a prerequisite to any environmental communication for any club at any level as a principle in itself but also as a means of protecting oneself. As soon as a club runs a campaign or takes a stand on an issue such as climate protection that is, at times, polarizing, the club makes itself vulnerable to attacks on the issue. We render clubs bulletproof to said attacks. ElevenGreen recognizes the value of communication and the potential that marketing campaigns can have on millions of people. At the same time, we remain an action-driven company, focused on making concrete changes as a prerequisite to marketing or communication.


Let's act together and then spread the word.

06.

SHORT TERM VS. LONG TERM THINKING

Let's think long term.

The focus of most sports organizations is short-term success. Why? Because the stakes in professional sports have become so large. The compensation is setup so that short term success receives the largest payoff. Artificial growth in the form of building the next super-team to win within a year has become more attractive than building a club from within and permitting organic growth. Long term survival and sustainable growth is not rewarded.


So how do we change this? How do we create a sporting world where sustainable growth is valued?

Perspective. By focusing on strong core values and shifting the conversation away from short term success and toward long term survival. By taking a step back and seeing the larger picture.


The heart of professional sports is the fanbase or the community. Its following. Without it, there are no professional sports. There are no professional clubs. There is no financial gain. By valuing its community and recognizing that the community is timeless, a club changes its scope and values its long term survival. Executives, managers, and players come and go but a club's following stays for a lifetime. The goal should be to cater to this community and understand their long term commitment.


Sustainable growth is not the most flashy concept. It often means refusing short term satisfaction for long term success. It means building a strong foundation that will last forever. Any long term plan has to make projections whilst taking into account the constraints of the system. The most restricting factor to growth in our world is our planet, our environmental limitations. As a result, any long term plan has to work within the boundaries defined by our environment. This implies building an environmental sustainability strategy. 


Implementing sustainable solutions now is an investment for the future. Whether it's installing solar panels or electric charging stations or LED lighting, an upfront investment pays itself off financially. Environmentally responsible decisions lead to sustainable growth. Our job at ElevenGreen is to help clubs understand that long term success tastes better than immediate satisfaction and help them build for the future. We want to help clubs grow smart.

It's becoming a must.

05.

THE TIME IS NOW.

The DFL (Deutsche Fußball Liga) and football clubs in Germany's Bundesliga and 2. Bundesliga have agreed on sustainability criteria as a requirement to take part in the country's top two levels of football. 


After deciding to integrate a sustainability protocol in December 2021, the DFL, along with the clubs, have come to a more concrete agreement about the licensing requirements in their end of season meeting in late May. 

In order to be a part of the Bundesliga or 2. Bundesliga, all clubs will be required to have a strategy regarding sustainability and more specifically, environmental sustainability. 

As an organization that works to create a more environmentally sustainable world, ElevenGreen is thrilled at the steps being taken around the world in professional sports. This particular development, however, is a big step toward concrete change from one of the world's biggest and most powerful leagues. We strongly believe that the Bundesliga is a pioneer on this front and the other main leagues as well as leagues all over the world will follow in the coming months and years.

These types of decisions serve as accelerators toward a more sustainable future, one that we hope to facilitate transitioning toward. Adapting the system to a world where we recognize our environmental limits is necessary. Through regulation as shown in this case or in the form of incentivization as shown by multiple subsidy programs where sustainable work is facilitated with financial aid, the shift toward environmentally friendly business is the inevitable future.

As this trend continues, our focus at ElevenGreen becomes even more crucial. Our objective is to develop the most effective framework and infrastructure within our company in order to provide the best sustainability service. By creating an all-inclusive package that focuses on making a real impact whilst appealing to a club's financial structure, we help create a path toward sustainability that is as seamless as possible. In doing so, we allow clubs to fulfill such requirements as presented by the DFL.


We are excited to take part in this new future and will grow into a major player in this industry - sustainably.



04.

WE LEAVE NOTHING BEHIND.

It's a win-win.

The photo is funny but our approach is serious. One mainstay of our philosophy at ElevenGreen is that environmental sustainability is financially attractive.


As a society, we respond to constraints, we are subjects to our boundary conditions. Sometimes, the system responds irrationally but eventually we settle into equilibrium. Tackling climate change is no different. The trend toward incentivizing environmentally "responsible" behavior is picking up steam. This is no different in the sports world

We know the programs in place on a governmental level that make sustainable investments interesting. At this point, it's free money and it would be foolish not to cash in.


We also understand long term thinking. A renewable system implies limited recurring costs. As a result, we save with every cycle. Recycling and reusing, for instance, imply reductions in acquisition costs. Whether it's energy, physical products or merchandise, we seek the solutions that maximize environmental gains and remain financial interesting. These are not mutually exclusive.


The trend toward sustainability is inevitable as climate change becomes more and more severe. Markets and governments always have a certain delay to reality and science. We see the trend, the markets are responding, as are the governmental subsidies. Environmentally responsible behavior is already financially incentivized and will continue to be financially incentivized. As we approach our planetary limits, the financial incentives must be increased to match the direness of climate change. We will solve climate change.

By incentivizing good behavior.



03.

WE ARE IMPERFECT.

Sustainability is circularity.

Sustainability, by definition, is the idea that a process or operation can be maintained for an infinite period of time. In that sense, sustainability is circularity. Any point on a circle can be the beginning or the end, or both. A sustainable process is a circular process.


We hear the term circularity being applied to a growing number of fields. The truth is, very few systems are perfectly circular. The problem with seeking perfection is that it is an unattainable state of being and can ultimately lead to inaction.

As such, no system is perfectly circular. None. At ElevenGreen, we accept imperfection. We constantly encourage taking action, getting started, making steps toward perfection, even though we know we won't attain it. A downcycling system or imperfect recycling system is better than the current state of things. 


Too often we find that there are conflicts within the quest for greater good. In the sustainability world, too many solutions providers are busy trying to disparage their competition and advertise themselves as the perfectly sustainable solution. It is futile. None of it is perfect. But all of it is better than staying the same. By fighting each other, we are promoting uncertainty and inaction. 


The goal with ElevenGreen is to offer solutions that are – althought imperfect – steps in the right direction. For us, that means we accept all solutions that show progress from current unsustainable practices. Sustainability is not black or white, it's a spectrum. We seek perfection but accept its futility and prefer action over uncertainty and inaction. Let us move forward and try to maximize our sustainability gains. Let us seek to be better than we were yesterday.

02.

We are working in a niche market. We know that. A sports club functions differently than a normal business. A sports club is a business and events company all in one.


With years of experience in the professional sports world, we know how a sports club functions. We see three main facets to the functioning of a club and its relationship to sustainability: day-to-day operations, events, and influence.


We come from your world.

The day-to-day operations of a sports club resemble that of a normal business. In a professional sports club, there are office workers working normal hours plus after-hours on gamedays or on weekends where the club has an event or a match. This, alone, is more or less comparable to normal energy and resource use for a similarly staffed company. 


The second facet, and potentially the most obvious, is the events industry aspect of a sports club. Depending on the sport, a club regularly welcomes a gathering of people, a spectacle of sorts. Depending on the size of the club, this implies extremely high energy and resource costs all equating to a high carbon footprint - imagine hosting, say, 15,000 people in your over-sized house and backyard for 3+ hours and compare it to your normal three-hour consumption.


The last aspect we see as a differentiator for a high level sports club from normal business of similar size is the influence a professional club has on its community. There's a responsibility to bear and a marketing aspect that affects every decision made. Sustainability is no different. In fact, it accentuates the need for professional clubs to lead the way and respond to the growing demand for environmental sustainability practices. Athletes and clubs are idolized in our era. Capture this, harness it.


 We know where you come from. We know where the constraints are, where the bottlenecks exist. We know how to navigate through these issues toward frictionless solutions and we know how positive the effects can be.

WE UNDERSTAND YOU.

01.

WE ARE HERE TO MAKE AN IMPACT.

We know it's a long road.

There's a lot that goes into sustainability. There's the social, the economic, and the environmental aspects. And all of their respective subsections. These three pillars are very interconnected but ElevenGreen chooses to focus on the environmental side of sustainability. We believe that this concentration can lead to the biggest impact on the largest scale.

Environmental sustainability remains complicated. There's a huge research facet to understanding environmental sustainability.

Intially, we have to understand what the current situation is and why it is so dangerous on a scientific level. Next, we have to investigate why it has come this far. What have we done on a policy level that has allowed harmful behavior to continue to this point? This subsection is heavily intertwined with social sciences, belief systems, and politics. The next logical step is to search for solutions. How do we mitigate harmful practices or solve them altogether based on what we know about the past and what we are creating for the future? This is where it all comes together: science, society, and creativity. Problem-solvers. Solution-oriented thinking. This final step is where ElevenGreen tries to make its impact.


Climate change is the greatest looming threat to our planet and the human race. The gravity and scale of the problem means that the whole world needs to be tackling this issue, everybody needs to play a part. ElevenGreen was founded on this idea. How can we positively impact our surroundings, our community?




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