The theme of the green transition has become a central part of various sectors of society. In some sectors, development has been rapid and systematic, while in others, the transition has been slower. The purpose of the Green Transition in Sports Facilities project is to accelerate and promote the implementation of the green transition in various areas of sports facilities. The main goals of the project are to improve the energy efficiency of sports facilities, reduce the emissions produced by sports facilities, and create new opportunities through renewable energy. The purpose of the project is to support the EU's climate goals towards carbon neutrality. The project promotes cooperation between local universities, companies, and the public sector in terms of energy efficiency, the adoption of renewable energy, and material recycling. RDI activities and the development of the competitiveness and new innovations of local companies are crucial parts of the project. Close cooperation between different actors facilitates the transfer of proven effective and new innovative solutions into practice, which promote the environmental friendliness of sports facilities. The concrete measures of the project include creating a green transition action plan for the sports facility sector, piloting new material and recycling solutions, and exploring the possibilities of solar power and energy storage in sports facilities. Key challenges in the sector that the project aims to address include recycling solutions for materials used in sports facilities, such as artificial turf, and replacing fossil fuels with more environmentally friendly alternatives, such as electric maintenance equipment. These issues have been highlighted, for example, in the TEAviisari, where Päijät-Häme's results were significantly below the national average in the overall environmental management. The project also broadly supports the Päijät-Häme regional strategy through sustainability and sports. With the help of the project, Päijät-Häme can be seen as a regional leader in this area. The project also has national and international dimensions, as similar operating environments can be found in sports facilities elsewhere in Finland and, for example, in the Nordic countries. Developing green transition expertise in the field of education is also important to ensure that environmentally friendly maintenance of sports facilities can be implemented in the future.
