Building a sustainability strategy for your federation

In recent years, Greece has faced a series of severe climate events, including devastating wildfires, record-breaking floods, and intense heatwaves. The summer of 2023 was particularly catastrophic, with wildfires ravaging forests and towns, followed by unprecedented rainfall that led to widespread flooding. In 2024, Greece experienced its hottest summer on record, exacerbating the frequency and intensity of wildfires.

These extreme weather events have highlighted Greece's vulnerability to climate change and underscored the urgent need for adaptive measures to mitigate future impacts.

The risks apply to all members of society, not least our horses and our sport. In fact, for many people, sport has little place in comparison to the size of the climate issue we are facing.

“If we cannot keep our homes safe, why should we worry about playing sport?”

Clearly, as equestrians, our sport is more than just a hobby. It is a way of life. For many, it is their income and livelihood, so protecting the sport is more than just providing a form of exercise or entertainment. The current trend of environmental events poses a considerable risk to our ability to practice our sport. If we cannot maintain a suitable climate, we will not have the resources to keep our horses. There will be no pasture, the availability of water will decrease, and this will dramatically affect the production of feed and other necessary things just to keep our horses alive, without even considering the resources we require to maintain arenas and the sporting aspects. ?

This is why it is vitally important that we all start to take action in our personal lives and our professional ones to instigate behaviour changes and reduce the heating effect.

This is a matter that the Greek National Equestrian Federation is already working hard on. Recognising the risks around them, and the duty they hold to create change, they have been developing a holistic sustainability strategy.

The process can feel like a very large task, particularly when we consider the huge climate outcomes we are experiencing. However, it can be tackled step-by-step in a manageable and achievable way for your organisation.

Katerina Liberi is heading up the task for the Greek Federation, and she talked us through their process in our recent webinar:

“Sports have a unique ability to bring people together from all walks of life, and today more than ever sports federations are recognised not just for the competitions they organise, but also by their potential to drive meaningful environmental and social change”.

Their journey towards creating a sustainability strategy has many benefits for the federation.

“A sustainability strategy helps a federation to be more adaptable to new regulations both nationally and internationally. By incorporating sustainability into the core of our operations, we are not just protecting our environment, but ensuring the wellbeing and safety of our athletes and horses, while preparing for a more resilient future”.

While the environmental pressure is one of the most prominent globally, within the EEF we are clear that sustainability is about more than just this. Our sport cannot fundamentally exist without the horses, and they must be central to everything to ensure that people can continue to participate in the years to come. Naturally, the environment plays a role here to ensure the horses can live comfortably, but also the wider treatment and welfare of the horse is vital.

Additionally, the sport is impossible without people; from riding instructors and trainers, to grooms and officials. Every organisation in our sport needs to ensure they have the needs and development of our workforce and participants in mind. Ensuring the sport is a safe and inclusive place.

As you work through our strategy builder you will find prompts for these three pillars, and be able to build out how this applies to you, and what actions you can take to strengthen your approach.

“By prioritising sustainability, we send a clear message to our stakeholders, athletes, sponsors, and the public, that we are committed to responsible stewardship. This helps us build long-lasting, mutually beneficial relationships. Athletes in particular will benefit from safer, more inclusive environments.” Katerina added.

“The process of creating a sustainability strategy requires teamwork, and results will take time. The road to sustainability is not always easy but it is one we must take to ensure the future of our federation and the sport we love”.

Start your journey to building a strategy here: https://sustainability-eef.eu/eef-framework-for-nfs/