The Greening of the Games initiative sought to use a major event, specifically the XVI Pacific Games (July 7-20 2019, across Samoa), as a platform to bring about behavioural change for addressing waste and pollution issues particularly marine litter and plastic pollution.
The objective was in accordance with the Blue Pacific narrative, the Pacific Island Forum Leaders’ decision to commit to eliminating marine litter, and a sense of urgency to implement the Pacific Marine Litter Action Plan under t the Pacific Framework for Regionalism, the S.A.M.O.A. Pathway and the Sustainable Development Goals.
Statement from SPREP Director General
It is with great pleasure that I write the introduction of activities relating to the Greening of the Games. The Samoa 2019 Pacific Games will be remembered for many record-breaking accomplishments: The most athletes participating, the most sports represented, the most countries competing and the largest spectator crowd in history. It will also be remembered for being the first Pacific Games to “go green” or more specifically, to succeed in eliminating single-use plastics and polystyrene from the athletic sports venues, dining halls and accommodations.
When the Samoan government established the Greening of the Games sub-committee in January of 2019, with Ulu Bismarck Crawley CEO on the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment and I as Co-Chairs, it was to address waste management issues occurring from major events like the Pacific Games. We knew we had a rare opportunity to use this major cultural and marketing platform to not only address marine waste and pollution issues in the Region, but to raise awareness and inspire behavioural change amongst Samoans and our entire Pacific Islands family as well. The close working relationship between SPREP and the MNRE made the success of the Greening of the Games possible.
With just five months to pull together a sustainable, strategic action plan and raise eight hundred thousand (800,000) tala, many thought it too high a goal to achieve. However, due to the work of the organising committee members, the Pacific Games Office, the Samoa Tourism Authority, MNRE, representatives from other public and private sectors as well as thousands of volunteers, we were able to pull it off with tremendous results. It is said that if you want to go faster, go alone but if you want to go farther, go together. In this case, everyone had something to contribute and that is what made the Greening of the Games initiative such a great success. It was truly a collective effort based upon the theme of the Games: “One in Spirit”!
During the games, as I walked around the various sports venues, I spoke with several of the visiting team officials and athletes from around the region. They shared with me feelings of pride for what Samoa was doing not just for the games but for the region. There was a sense of satisfaction for what could be achieved with vision, determination, engaged partnerships and effective planning. Even weeks after the games ended, we are still reading posts and hearing stories from athletes and visitors thanking Samoa, acclaiming the work of the Greening of the Games sub-committee, and sharing the message back home to do the right thing for the environment.
The Samoan Government’s message of seeking to improve the standard of living and quality of life for Samoans without single-use plastics was heard across its communities. The Greening of the Games was intended as a catalyst for people to see the possibilities, open their minds and begin to change their relationship with single-use plastic items.
Radical ideas are often judged by the legacies they leave, and the Greening of the Games had many. Even before the closing ceremonies occurred, the host of the next (XVII) Pacific Games approached us for help greening their event. Others have asked for a ‘How to Guide’ which these pages seek to achieve.
Following the Games one hundred and fifty of the free, fresh, and filtered water stations procured for the games will be installed in local Samoan schools and children will be instructed on their use and purpose. At the end of the day, this is what it is about: to pass on the legacy to our children for a cleaner, healthier environment and Pacific Region.
-Kosi Latu, December 2019