Providing opportunities for sport and physical activity (PA) and encouraging citizens to live greener lives should be a priority for all European cities. City, Green, Go! is a two-year project, funded by the Erasmus+ programme, which aims to promote health-enhancing physical activity in urban environments, while encouraging citizens to live greener lives.
According to EU statistics, 46% of Europeans never take part in physical activity or sport, and the number is gradually increasing. By 2050, more than 80% of European citizens living in urban areas will be exposed to urban health risks such as physical inactivity. The projects aim to provide relevant stakeholders, such as sports and environmental organisations, local authorities and businesses, with a directory to increase sports and physical activity levels and environmental awareness among urban populations.
By raising awareness of environmental issues and promoting green practices, citizens and athletes can inspire their communities and followers to take action. In addition, sports organisations can partner with environmental organisations to support conservation efforts and raise funds for environmental causes. Such partnerships can help protect natural habitats and support efforts to restore ecosystems damaged by human activities.
Results
In the framework of the City, Green, Go! Project, the participating organisations decided to create a collection of good practices in order to:
1. promote physical activity,
2. Stress the importance of urban environments as locations to host healthy eco activities
3. communicate environmental messages.
Expert partners from different sectors will develop a directory to guide a wide range of stakeholders (municipalities, sports federations, clubs, environmental organizations, companies, educational institutions, etc.) to work together to increase citizens’ physical activity levels and environmental awareness at the same time. The directory will be based in part on relevant good practices collected during the project. The City, Green, Go! good practices collection and research report are made available as resources. The directory will also include a guide on how to disseminate environmental messages in urban sports venues and share useful resources developed by similar projects.
ISINNOVA’s role
In the context of the City, Green, Go project, ISINNOVA will provide the following services:
• Leadership of the research.
• Definition of the theoretical framework for increasing environmental awareness in cities.
• Collection of best practices for eco-friendly sports.
Partners
ISINNOVA | Budapest Sport Service Provider Nonprofit Ltd | Sport and Citizenship | SandSi – Sport and Sustainability International | Budapest Municipality | International Sport and Culture association (ISCA)
