Start putting the green back into green and red of Mayo

 

MAYO GAA fans are getting ready to hit the road again this weekend for the big game against Galway in Salthill. As fans clock up the miles year after year following the team, how many have ever stopped to think about the impact all that travel is having?

 

Student Chloe Bright, who recently completed work experience at The Connaught Telegraph, writes here about an interesting campaign she and a fellow student have been working on.

 

OVER the course of the year, myself and Deirbhile Hughes, another now ex-TY at Davitt College, Castlebar, have been running a campaign in an attempt to bring about some element of change in the county's attitude towards green travel. It was all for the SEAI's One Good Idea competition, in which primary and secondary school students are encouraged to think of new ways to combat climate change.

The idea behind our project was to convince Mayo GAA fans to start using greener methods of travel to reach matches. Our campaign took up most of the last few months of the school year, between poster campaigns and surveys and talking to TDs, and by the end of it all, the work we had put in (albeit grudgingly, at times) paid off, and we earned ourselves a spot at the national final held in Croke Park on May 16.

Of course, we didn't actually go on to win anything, but the premise still stands. Mayo fans should be trying to reduce their carbon emissions, and from our research, it wouldn't be that hard to do.

Almost 100% of the people we surveyed claimed they use a car to get to the matches, even when they are within walking or cycling distance of the pitch. The vast majority of people also tend to drive either alone or with just one passenger.

These unfilled backseats result in double the amount of cars necessary to transport the fans being on the roads, resulting in extra fuel usage and less parking spaces, which could lead to traffic jams.

We also discovered that over 90% of fans would be willing to make use of a public transport system if one were to be arranged specifically for the matches. In this area though, Mayo is sorely lacking, and although the market is there, it doesn't seem like that gap is going to be filled anytime soon.

The main issue is that people will never immediately link carbon emissions with the GAA. But when you think about it, it makes total sense; of course all of our traipsing around the country after our green and red beacons of hope would start having some effect on the environment.

People also believe that they aren't having any effect on the environment, that just one car isn't going to cause much difference either way. The problem is that it's not just one car.

According to the GAA website, there are 1.5 million people attending championship matches each year that could be thinking the exact same thing. Besides that, according to our calculations factoring in average distances and engine capacity, the average car will create around 65kg of carbon emissions travelling to just one match.

So what's the solution? Quite simply, carpooling. Now, everyone has seen their fair share of the leaflets touting carpooling as our last chance to save the Earth, urging us to round up the neighbours for the school run so we can save the polar bears. Sometimes, carpooling just isn't possible, but in this case, it's the perfect solution. Many people are coming from the same area, and going to the same place for the same time. Why wouldn't they carpool? Plus, if you get really lucky, whoever is driving you might not even ask for your share of the petrol money.

To make this even easier, we decided to begin developing an app that could link up people in the same area who had a spare seat or needed a lift. But in the meantime, think about how you are travelling to matches, think about what effect it could have down the line. If you are driving in alone, ask someone if they have any room in their car. If you have a spare seat, offer it to someone. Get a group together and hire a bus. When (not if) we're back up in Croke Park later this year, take the train instead. Consider the effect you might be having on the environment, and remember that there are ways you can reduce it.

It's about time we start putting the green back into green and red.