SpoGomi is a Japanese sport that blends the word sport with the Japanese word for litter - ‘gomi’. The sport originated in Japan in 2008 as a way to promote environmental sustainability, whilst also allowing the teams involved to have fun and be competitive.
Sports teams from across Loughborough University, including gymnastics, lifesaving and hockey, raced around Loughborough town centre to gather as much litter as they could in a 45-minute time slot.
The teams then had a time limit to sort the litter they had collected into 5 different categories: lightweight recyclables, heavy recyclables, lightweight non-recyclables, heavy non-recyclables and lithium batteries. The rubbish collected ranged from glass bottles to abandoned shopping baskets, to clothing and cardboard boxes. This was then weighed and points were calculated per category - the winning team was the one with the most points.
The litter-picking event was part of The Climate Cup, an engagement programme where Athletics Union clubs compete to be the most sustainable.
The Climate Cup, organised by environmental start-up Carbon Jacked, involves a number of events in three stages: climate; nature; and communications. The sports teams involved have worked towards reducing their carbon emissions, support nature recovery and spread the word about their activity in a fun and engaging way.
Elliott Brown, Sustainability Manager at Loughborough University, said of the event: “A number of years ago I was looking at how we can position sustainability and sport at one of the leading universities for sport globally, and really The Climate Cup programme and working with Carbon Jacked stood out as a way to engage students.
“It’s not something I’ve seen done elsewhere at universities so the opportunity for us was massive to play into the competitive spirit of our Athletics Union clubs, to help educate them in climate action and the impact climate can have on sport.
“I think it’s hugely important for them to understand, not just whilst they’re at Loughborough but once they leave they’re likely to get involved with grassroots or elite level sport, so the power of the competition was something I thought would be amazing for our students to be part of.”
Jess Silva, Co-Founder of Carbon Jacked, added: “I think doing an initiative like this sets universities apart from others. We know that the Climate Cup has helped students get internships and jobs, it’s something extra that students can talk about in interviews to set them apart in today’s job market. It shows they’re taking sustainability seriously and elevates Loughborough as a university.”
The winning team collected more than 28kg of litter from Loughborough’s streets, with the event clearing a staggering 281kg of rubbish from the town centre in total.
The Climate Cup is an award-winning initiative that can be implemented at any university, with Loughborough paving the way by being the first university to roll out this unique and highly engaging project for students.
For more information visit the Carbon Jacked website.
ENDS