Today is Earth Day 2024. Its mission since its inception in 1970, has been to diversify, educate and activate the environmental movement worldwide.
Every Earth Day can drive a year of energy, enthusiasm, and commitment to create a new plan of action for our planet.
And at Badminton England, in collaboration with UK Sport and Street Games, we proudly launched BE Green last year – an equipment recycling pilot project for badminton.
BE Green’s vision is using sustainable action to enhance the wellbeing of young people through badminton and, for the last six months, we have been encouraging the badminton community to give new life to old shuttles and rackets.
We have been receiving donations of old rackets and shuttles that we have gone on to recycle – providing equipment to local schools, initially in Milton Keynes and Sheffield, to encourage more children to pick up a racket and help them to improve their health and wellbeing.
Last week, Badminton England athlete Sian Kelly visited Langland Community School to celebrate the early success of the project.
Sian joined in with a badminton session, equipped with rackets and shuttles which had been donated to the school by the BE Green initiative and led by Street Games, before taking part in a fun question and answer session with the pupils.
The young aspiring badminton players were able to enjoy a hit with the pro and awards and prizes were given out at the end of the engaging session – with some pupils winning official England shirts to play their badminton in!
Plastics of course are a major concern for our seas and oceans and the life that thrives within those environments. So it was also a joy to collaborate with the Sea Life Centre during last month’s YONEX All England Open and bring two of the world’s best badminton players closer to some of those marine creatures.
India’s Prannoy H.S. joined Hong Kong star Ng Ka Long Angus for a trip across the canal from the Utilita Arena for a quick rally in unusual surroundings.
Having taken a good look around the Sea Life Centre, the pair had a hit with a shuttle…underwater.
The badminton stars took a journey into an underwater world into the Centre’s Ocean Tunnel – the UK’s only 360° Ocean Tunnel – introducing the jellyfish and the sharks to the world of badminton and the prestigious tournament.
