ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY
What is our Impact on our Earth?
Chance to Play is taking recycling to the next level. Since 2011, hundreds of thousands of used and new soccer uniforms, soccer ball, cleats and other gear has been diverted from the landfills across Canada. This initiative started with concerned citizens and communities. It is the soccer players and their families, soccer members, soccer clubs and the community that wants to see alternative solutions to the countless soccer uniforms that sit in closets or clubhouse, unusable.
In most cases, soccer players will wear a uniform and use the ball for one season, then replaced with a new uniform and ball for the next season. Parents love to keep their children’s first uniform at age 4 as a memorable piece of history. After numerous seasons, the uniforms start to collect dust in a box under the stairs or tucked away in a closet. Realizing the uniforms will never be worn again as it does not become apart of the kids wardrobe.Many soccer clubs find themselves buried in unusable soccer gear due to changes in branding, distribution, business sponsorship changes and/or overstock. Cupboards, closets, and shelves are overloaded with new unusable gear but the only place to discard is the landfills. Clubs across Canada realize the waste has a huge impact but left with very few options.
Today, we are much more aware of the environment impact we have on our earth. Since the 1970’s, David Suzuki , an award winning Canadian scientist, environmentalist, and broadcaster, spoke about our carbon footprint and the conscious effects that must be make to save our planet. In was in the early 1990’s that the world listened and started to consider changes in our we through away garage by sorting into recycling and compost, water & energy consumption by educating the public on waste and how to turn off lights, use a clothesline instead of the dryer, turn down the heat/turn up (or off) the air conditioning during peak times , and over-packaged consumer products by reduce making the corporations accountable for their actions.We may have missed the mark for over twenty years on making sustainable changes to our behaviour and attitude towards the planet but I believe we can make a difference in the world, one step at a time. Consider the changes in your body, mind and spirit that we have to continue the hard work for our children and grandchildren.
“Scientists have been warning about global warming for decades. It’s too late to stop it now,
but we can lessen its severity and impacts”
David Suzuki
