Cricket pitches may be lovely to look at, but maintaining them is often not an eco-friendly practice. But there are better solutions. Skip the chemicals and garden organically to make your green pristine. Also use rainwater harvesting techniques to save water.
Edgbaston Cricket Stadium also runs on green energy, and runs a free shuttle bus for ticket holders from Birmingham New Street Station. It also has made food packaging compostable (from seaweed).
Lord’s Cricket Ground now uses electric (over petrol) lawnmowers and has introduced ReCups to visitors (these can be washed and reused over 100 times, yet robust enough to withstand hot drinks).
Organic Cricket Pitches
The organic movement isn’t just for farmers’ markets. Organic cricket pitches forego harmful chemicals, opting instead for natural alternatives. This shift not only nurtures the soil but boosts biodiversity, inviting nature back onto the field. Think of it as a welcome party for bugs and beetles—a pitch with a thriving ecosystem beneath its surface.
Like bowls and tennis courts, great care is taken to ensure that cricket pitches are a beautiful green, but you can still do this organically and use rainwater harvesting systems for irrigation. Grazers is a Yorkshire company that helps to humanely deter wild creatures from eating your grass, using a nontoxic formula (don’t use near pet rabbits, as it makes grass unpalatable).
Green Energy Solutions
Ever considered solar-powered mowers? Using renewable energy could slash the emissions tied to pitch maintenance. Wind and solar setups could power the lights or pumping systems. It’s about time cricket pitches went off the grid, don’t you think?
Vegan Cricket Balls
Many cricket clubs now use balls made from leather alternatives. Good news for vegan cricket players like Virat Kohli. Earley Cricket Club in Reading is one of the first to use a synthetic cricket ball covered in rubber. The same cricket club also has made their tea menu plant-based (ham & beef sandwiches have now been swapped for vegan spaghetti bolognese and Moroccan tagine!)
Sustainable Cricket Bats
Most cricket bats are made from willow wood, with sustainability experts suggesting bamboo is an ideal replacement for cricket bats. It’s also cheaper and has less waste (up to a fifth of willow is burned as firewood).
And as most cricket bats are made in India, the wood is grown here, shipped there and then shipped back again. Or perhaps bats could be made here from recycled wood?
Recycling Used Cricket Equipment
Terracycle offers a used sports equipment box. For a one-off charge, communities can get together to send all unused and broken sports items out of town, to be recycled into other items. The box accepts all sports balls, rackets and equipment (not wood), plus swimsuits, goggles, water bottles, cycling accessories, yoga mats and disassembled fishing rods & nets.
