HOWZAT!
A green-thinking cricket club is spearheading a project aimed at helping others take responsibility for their carbon footprint.
Eight Ash Green became the world’s first carbon balanced cricket club in 2013, thanks to a scheme in conjunction with the World Land Trust.
It decided to do something about climate change by starting to measure its carbon emissions.
It then took action to reduce them and offset what was left - basically doing things that remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, like planting trees.
The club’s offset money is invested in protecting priceless rainforest around the world.
Now the club wants to help others do the same, by launching its Carbon Centurions project.
The idea is to help 100 cricket clubs become carbon balanced in 100 days.
The launch takes place at Eight Ash Green on July 2, when the home team will play a Carbon Centurions XI.
This side will be made up of the ten clubs starting their sustainability journey.
The man behind the project is Eight Ash Green president Richard Parker.
As founder of club partner Neutral Territory, he has overseen the club’s efforts to measure, offset and reduce its carbon emissions.
He said: “Everyone knows we have to cut our emissions to net-zero eventually.
“Eight Ash Green have been doing it for nearly a decade, so there’s no reason why other clubs can’t start doing it right now.
“The problem is, like every other small organisation, cricket clubs have limited resources and committee members often think they don’t have the time or money.
Eight Ash Green president Richard Parker
“However, Carbon Centurions provides free help to measure and reduce emissions and for this match will pay a club’s offset cost if they can’t fund it themselves.
“It’s not as generous as it sounds.
“The measurements take about two hours and the offsetting cost is about £150 – half the cost of a new bat. The real work is in steadily reducing emissions afterwards.”
The project is using social media to encourage and support young players to take action at grassroots level.
The issue is particularly topical at the moment, with the 47th G7 Summit taking place in Cornwall from Friday to Sunday. Climate change is firmly on the agenda.
To get the message across a ‘20:30 NOT 2030!’ slogan is being used to help people understand they can take positive action by half past eight in the evening - not years ahead.
Sam Docherty, a second year environmental science student from the University of East Anglia, is project intern for Neutral Territory.
His job is to share the simple techniques the club has honed over the years.
“We aim to recruit, train and support 100 carbon champions to measure and offset their cricket club’s carbon emissions,” he said.
“Cricket is possibly the most weather-dependent sport you can get.
“If we don’t take action now then the covers really will be staying on village cricket in years to come.”
Carbon Centurions XI currently has players from five clubs committed to the project and has places for five more.
The project is starting with ten clubs and plans to finish with 100 clubs when the season ends in September.
To register your interest, head to the Carbon Centurions website.
Sir David Attenborough has been official patron of the Suffolk-based World Land Trust since 2003.
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