This policy was prepared by Nick Roberts, Ka-Pow! Ultimate Sustainability Officer.
Nick Roberts works for the University of Gloucestershire as their Sustainable Sports Coordinator and runs their Global Athletes project. Follow @yourGreenSport or email nroberts1@glos.ac.uk / nickroberts@kapowultimate.com for more information.
When competing Ka-Pow! Ultimate strives to demonstrate humbleness, respect and a determination to improve with every game. Through following these principles Ka-Pow! aims to make an international impact, but we do not believe that this should come at a global cost.
The principles we follow on pitch will also guide the actions of our sustainability policy. The team is made up of individuals who together can achieve something much greater, likewise our own small individual actions have the potential to make a much larger positive impact on our environment and community.
Nutrition
Eric Wimp knew a thing or two about the importance of bananas for combating crime, he was also a proponent of FairTrade fruit, where suppliers are paid a fair living wage. Ka-Pow! Ultimate players will buy where possible FairTrade products to make sure our international impact continues to be positive.
The food focus doesn’t just end with fruit. Ka-Pow! Ultimate recognizes that our biggest environmental impact comes from the food we eat. As part of training right comes eating right. We will supply our team with recipes which contain in-season produce, designed for battling evil and gym sessions. Team members will be encouraged to buy produce which has been produced sustainably and has a smaller environmental footprint.
For example a steak dinner should be respected and taken seriously, but generally cutting down on red meat can be good for your health and reducing dairy intake has a significant environmental benefit. That’s not to say you won’t catch us eating the occasional pizza too, it hasn’t held Michelangelo or Donatello back.
One of our major sources of rubbish is from our training and tournament food and drink choices. All single use water bottles will be banned from trainings and competitions – re-using water bottles will save our players money and reduce the amount of plastic going to landfill. Post-training waste will be recycled where possible and players will be encouraged to use products with less packaging. An Oscar the grouch agreed plan.
Transport
All superheroes need a sweet ride, be it the Batmobile, the Incredi-mobile or Green Hornet’s Black Beauty, however just like Dr. Thomas Wayne we at Ka-Pow! Ultimate think that public transport is just as important. As a London based team we encourage all our players to travel by public transport and will seek to locate trainings where they are easily accessible by train, bus or bike. When cars are required, for fighting crime outside London or attending Tournaments we will try to fill them with players and kit so as to reduce the number being used.
Not all Superheroes have an Alfred or Kato, instead drivers will ensure cars are well maintained for best fighting crime and for better fuel efficiency (under inflated tyres can increase fuel consumption by up to 3%). Ka-Pow! Ultimate drivers will maintain defensive driving positions and follow efficient driving measures, shaking off bad guys, reducing fuel use and saving money.
Ka-Pow! Ultimate will also record the number of miles traveled by car each year so that in the future we can seek alternatives for reducing the total number of miles traveled or offset our fossil fuel use. These figures will be published at the end of each season.
No Capes!
A superhero wears an outfit for a number of reasons, to protect their identity, to give them extra powers, sometimes they might just like the idea of tights or wearing pants on the outside of their trousers. Most importantly it reminds the wearer that when it’s on they have a job to do and responsibilities to follow.
The sustainable and ethical production of our kit and stash will be a factor in our kit purchasing decisions and we will help inform our players and fans about suppliers who follow the same principles we do.
All billionaire playboy philanthropists must be on top of the latest fashion trends, when our kit and equipment is no longer cutting edge, we will continue our support of charitable enterprises to promote Ultimate in our local and global communities. If our kit is unusable – due to rips, burns or bullet holes we will look to recycle our equipment to prevent contributing to excessive waste to landfill.
Future crime fighters
As part of our support of promoting local and global ultimate we will also donate part of our club fees to Ultimate Peace, an organization which promotes social and conflict resolution in troubled areas through ultimate training camps. As part of making London, a safer place Ka-pow! Ultimate will also run training sessions for the wider community.
As Ultimate Players we give a lot of our own time for the sport we enjoy and we are aware there is an environmental and social impact associated with it. Through making simple changes we look to be able to continue playing at the highest levels, ensuring that we support Ultimate in our local and global communities and minimizing our impact on the wider environment.