Clean Living

Clean living links human lives to the natural and built environment. For the last couple of centuries, and increasingly so, aggregated human activities have been having a negative impact on the environment.

The build-up of greenhouse gases emitted from burning fossil fuels and from industrial processes are driving the climate crisis with extreme weather, storms, floods and droughts striking across the world with greater frequency and force. New innovations create man-made materials and chemicals never seen before in nature so, when they get into the environment (as they almost inevitably do, whether on purpose or by accident), there is no mechanism to break them down. As they persist and accumulate, their often-toxic impact is felt. 

Habitats are destroyed to make way for agriculture, but these spaces that are fundamental to feeding the world are pushed to extremes with industrial, large scale farming techniques that denature the soil and remove its natural fertility and biodiversity. All of these impacts contribute to the biodiversity crisis, reducing populations and species number across the globe. In our increasingly separate lives people feel separate from the natural world, and yet we rely on natural processes to support all human society. The functional complexity of natural ecosystems is what supports all life and genetic diversity allows for adaptation and change. If we lose biodiversity, we, ultimately, lose life as natural systems break down.

One contributing solution to this increasingly dystopian future is to advocate for cleaner living. But what do we mean by clean living? It could be living a more natural life, without man-made pollution and chemicals with renewable energy and local food. This may represent an ideal world for some, but it is so far from today’s economic growth driven reality that it feels very distant and hard to communicate. A simpler concept is needed. “Sustainability” is complex, after all it describes the complete system of human and natural interactions where complex, emergent properties take over once natural tipping points have passed. To be more sustainable humanity must practice environmental responsibility while optimising economic activity and promoting social progress and justice. So how can we convey an easy to communicate vision of clean living?

Happiness, well-being and meaning all contribute to personal value, but all are negatively impacted by our current situation. People are confused about what they can do and, frankly, if they should even bother. On the one hand occasional news stories about extreme weather or pollution tell us that bad things are happening. On the other we are constantly being encouraged to consume more, fly away on holiday and live busy high-carbon lifestyles by aspirational advertising and internet influencers. After all, if flying was really that bad surely my sports team wouldn’t be sponsored by an airline company…? So near-constant, conflicting messaging creates a cognitive dissonance, confuses and generates inaction.

For some this can lead to eco-anxiety, a state of knowing that you want to, or need to, do something, but you really don’t know what (although the manifestation of ecoanxiety can vary in both cause and effect).  This lack of agency and control creates genuine psychological concerns. Meanwhile, big polluters absolve themselves of responsibility by promoting the idea that an individual can help by reducing their personal carbon footprint, heaping responsibility onto the consumer, not the producer – a dereliction of responsibility from industry and politicians alike. Greenwashing, intentional obfuscation, short-termism and confusion all add to an air of powerlessness.

The Sport for Climate Action and Nature (SCAN) group at º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ, with members across the East Midlands campus and in the Institute for Sport Business in London, is a cross-disciplinary group of academics and doctoral students who use sport as a focus for understanding human-made impacts, devising solutions and communicating to the public in an accessible and relevant way. Talking to people about climate change is difficult, so at º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ we often use the context of sport to demonstrate the future impacts of climate change, waste accumulation and biodiversity loss on the sports that we love to watch and play, and on society more generally.

Clean living should refer to removing, greenhouse gas emissions preventing polluting chemicals and materials from accumulating in the environment and cherishing the complexity of nature and ecosystem services that support life. It should also mean clean minds and a clean conscience. Decisions should be made with the health of the individual, health of communities and the health of the planet in mind.

Foreword authored by Dr Russ Seymour, º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ London

Case studies

Research by Theo Frixou, º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ London Institute for Sport Business 

Is concerned with how organisations and corporations can be more mindful of their social and corporate responsibility. Specifically, it focuses on business practices and sponsorship, the role of sponsorship and the messages that certain sponsorships signal.

It discusses how organisations can adapt climate and socially responsible behaviours in economically and environmentally sustainable ways. Further, it discusses the role of government in nurturing clean and sustainable organisational practice.

Research by Dr Anna Grosman, º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ London's Institute of International Management and Entrepreneurship  

This research focuses on the connection between land use and climate action through the use, misuse and underuse of London’s canal system. The research brings together a diverse group of stakeholders, community members, local workers and local governance agencies, to collectively creative sustainable regenerative projects that benefit the local community and environment.

It highlights the importance of local knowledge and the power of community-led governance in creating sustainable solutions to local environmental issues.

Research by Dr Katie Parsons, º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ School of Social Sciences and Humanities 

As the world grapples with the climate and biodiversity crises, understanding the impacts, perspectives and actions of the younger generations is crucial. This research explores how children and youth in Britian have been at the forefront climate activism, and in doing so demonstrates how climate activism provides children and youth with an important sense of agency and purpose. 

It highlights the potential mental health benefits of youth climate activism, and the need for more intergenerational and youth-governmental collaborations to enhance climate awareness and education.

Research by Dr. Ksenija Kuzmina, (Institute for Design Innovation, º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ) London, Dr. Laura Santamaria, (Royal College of Art) Prof. Antonia Liguori, (Teesside University)  Dr. Ruby Mahera, (East London Mosque)  Afsana Salik, (TELCO Citizens UK)

Climate Heroes is a collaboration between º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ London, Citizens UK, East London Mosque, and young people. It is a programme that adapts creative methodologies alongside community organising practices to enhance conditions for youth-led climate leadership.

The programme applies digital storytelling and co-design methodologies to listen, interpret, and create a series of stories that reflect on individual interpretation of climate crisis, everyday culture of their community, and faith. By bringing together these insights the programme provides the tools and resources for collaborative, youth-led, climate action.

Sustainable partnerships: what is good practice? Is concerned with how organisations and corporations can be more mindful of their social and corporate responsibility. Specifically, it focuses on business practices and sponsorship, the role of sponsorship and the messages that certain sponsorships signal.

It discusses how organisations can adapt climate and socially responsible behaviours in economically and environmentally sustainable ways. Further, it discusses the role of government in nurturing clean and sustainable organisational practice.

Research by Sport for Climate Acton and Nature Group, º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ

The Sport for Climate Action and Nature research group comprises of 30+ researchers at º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ working on sport, sustainability and climate change. The group aims to place º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ as the global thought leader in the field of sport and climate action.

Current projects include understanding the physiology of exercise during exposure to increased heat, the effect of climate change on sports pitches, the sociology aspect of emissions and travel, sponsorship, the synergies and trade-offs of adopting sustainable practices in sport and emissions from grassroots sports.

Key themes

The exploration and inquiry of Clean Living resulted in the identification of 3 key themes across research domains. These themes can be defined as:

Action and activism across the life course

The role of children and young people in local climate initiatives and solution based actions is a critical aspect of tackling the climate crisis locally and nationally. Children and young people are recognised as important agents of change and positioned at the centre of clean living debates. Therefore, evidence suggests that centralising young people and including children in climate action results in positive and productive climate activism with the hope of long term sustained action.

Ecological citizens and social responsibility

Ecological citizens is a broad term and theme that highlights the role of citizenship and civic engagement within communities and local institutions. In this case, social responsibility takes a leading role in the way in which local groups and individuals engage with clean living reforms, actions and behaviours within their spaces and operational practices. Social responsibility also extends to organisations and corporations who can and should also be ecological citizens to their consumers and partners. This is heavily dictated by the ways in which corporations and local institutions form partnerships and sponsorship relationships with others.

Community led governance

Localism in the clean living space can be designed as community led governance. Consultation between local communities and government in order to create bottom-up solutions, organisation and governance to solve climate related local problems i.e. pollution, air quality or exposure to emissions. This may lead to local educational reform, support for local policymaking and empowered communities.