Grand Finals vs. Climate Change

28.09.17 By
This article is more than 6 years old

Many of Australia’s favourite outdoor sports are already feeling the effects of climate change with hotter, drier weather affecting pitches, as well as longer and more intense heatwaves in peak season (Australian Open anyone?). But true to form, Australia’s sporting community has taken the issue head on with initiatives ranging from multimillion dollar green upgrades to the ‘G, to multi-sport environmental alliances.

To get into the spirit and get amongst climate action, here’s five ways you can tackle climate change this finals weekend and have a cracker time while you’re at it.

1. Stream the game via broadband rather than using mobile data

If you’re staying home to watch the game by yourself on a tablet because your friends and family just don’t get footy, jump onto your broadband connection while streaming it onto your device. Streaming from your phone’s mobile data is way more emissions-intensive than broadband, and can increase your carbon footprint by up to ten times!

2. Get your mates together and watch it

If your friends and family DO get footy, get them all together and watch it on TV. Plus, as you’ll probably be having a few, pick the friend’s house closest to public transport. You’ll slash your carbon footprint compared to all driving separately, and you’ll be looking out for yourselves and your mates as well!

3. Go to the pub

As if Australians need an excuse to go to the pub! Walking or catching public transport to your local can be one of the lowest-footprint ways to enjoy the Grand Final. Ten 45-inch LED TVs in a pub watched by 50 people still has less of a carbon footprint than a tablet on 3G watched by one person!

4. Take public transport

If you’re lucky enough to have tickets to the game, opt for public transport. If everyone travelling to the MCG on Grand Final day takes public transport instead of driving, it will keep up to 100,000 people in their cars off the road! Plus, let’s face it. Parking is savage and nobody got time for Punt Road on Grand Final day.

5. Back climate action initiatives in sports

If you play in a community AFL team, check out the Green Clubs initiative: Community clubs banding together to work on saving water and reducing energy use, as well as the amount of waste sent to landfill. You can also back your code in joining the Sports Environment Alliance: an alliance of codes including Cricket Australia and the AFL who work to inspire the sporting community to live more sustainably.


This article was adapted from Carbon Trust’s Carbon Bootprint report.