traveling to buffalo, new york matthew goes to niagara climbing center which is the climbing gym that sparked his love for the sport. we are introduced to sam adams and jake handerhan who are employees at the gym as well as lifetime climbing friends to matthew. matthew interviews them as they bring up insightful and particular events that gave them a deeper appreciation for the natural environment because of their relation with rock climbing. after, matthew reflects on his conversations and begins to question who else has had a similar experience.

bob zinni, who is an arborist and lifelong friend to matthew finds himself in the spotlight as they converse about the topic uncovering similar experiences. then, we are introduced to kevin floss who is the director of the western new york access coalition and a friend of matthew. digging deeper it is uncovered that kevin and his coalition have had to fight for climbing access in local climbing areas near him. lastly, we are introduced to dani dobrot who is the assistant director of the climbing initiative and she helps to tie all the questions and connections matthews has been having altogether. matthew reflects on all the interactions he’s had with climbers and discovers that at some point all of them obtained a deeper and positive connection with the natural environment because of rock climbing.

https://vimeo.com/manage/videos/686132270 – climbing with environmentalism (trailer)

https://vimeo.com/manage/videos/686134330 – climbing with environmentalism (documentary) 

human activity affects our planet and this research confirmed that college sports are no exception. transportation, the energy and resources that go into maintaining athletic facilities, and the waste that is generated at sporting events are all contributors to this impact. 

however, it’s not all doom and gloom. some schools are viewing these categories as areas of opportunity for improvement. if we can get more to adopt sustainability initiatives that address these issues, colleges have the potential to lead the way toward green athletics and student-athletes like myself can play an integral role in springing schools into action.

but the sports industry is in a unique position to integrate sustainability into u.s. culture. while 61% of americans identify themselves as sports fans, only 13% say they follow science.

we explore the significant impact that sports stadiums and arenas have on the environment as contributors to climate change. opening in fall 2021, we look towards an innovative solution — the climate pledge arena is the first zero carbon arena being being built in the heart of seattle, washington.

when it comes to concessions at professional sporting events, a rising concern has been trash and uneaten food. however, there are some franchises working to make their events not as wasteful and move past the days of paper trays and plastic cups. one such venue is denver’s pepsi center. 

this fall, the pepsi center — home to almost all of denver’s professional sports teams and frequent concert venue — along with the ball corporation and kroenke sports & entertainment, launched a reusable and recyclable aluminum cup at their concession stands to replace plastic cups at the pepsi center. the change was part of a pilot program created by ball in response to consumer preference for more sustainable products.

the 20 oz. cup — the first of its kind to be used at a professional sporting venue in the united states — debuted at the denver nuggets’ first home game of this season, against the phoenix suns, on oct. 25, 2019. the pepsi center is also the first professional sporting venue to distribute such a cup, according to renee robinson, director of corporate communications at ball. 

in a joint press statement from ball and kroenke sports & entertainment, ball’s chairman, president, and ceo john a. hayes said a goal of the new cup was to make a “meaningful difference on promoting sustainability in its industry.” 

also, according to robinson, the aluminum cup comes with many positives.

“ball’s new aluminum cup is infinitely recyclable, meaning that it can be used, recycled and be back in use as a new cup or can in as little as 60 days,” robinson said. 

“aluminum beverage containers have a global recycling rate of 69% and recycling yields of more than 98%, making them the world’s most recycled beverage container.” 

plastic has a much smaller recycling rate — 8.4% according to a 2017 report from the environmental protection agency. 

robinson said the ball corporation is a company that prides itself on making our planet a greener one, and it is doing so in multiple areas, from packaging to aerospace. that overarching goal is what inspired ball to get this new cup made and distributed, according to robinson. beyond the new cup, ball has helped lead recycling education programs and also has joined the world wildlife fund through their cascading materials vision. 

the cost of the new cups has not yet been determined, but as reported in packaging digest, ball anticipates pricing to be “competitive with other sustainable cup options.” ball general manager sebastian siethoff said in the article that venues are making a “conscious decision to adopt a more sustainable beverage container for their consumers.”

currently, the aluminum cup can be found only in colorado — at both the pepsi center and via the university of colorado athletic department at folsom field. cu’s cup swap is a step toward the university’s goal of becoming plastic-free in its sports venues by 2020.

according to robinson, ball plans to expand the production of their cups to the other side of the united states, with a goal of launching next at atlanta’s mercedes-benz stadium. the company hopes to be in other venues and facilities by the end of 2020, as well as expand their cup options. 

“we are building a dedicated cups manufacturing facility in georgia and, when that plant is fully operational, we plan to introduce additional sizes to round out our cups portfolio and intend to expand adoption of the cups to drinking establishments, parks and recreation, colleges and universities, hospitality, restaurants, retail, business and industry,” robinson said.

on march 21, 2011, the green sports alliance was launched by most of the professional sports franchises in the pacific northwest area as well as the vancouver canucks along with the bonneville environmental foundation, green building services, and milepost consulting. since then, the organization has gone on to include major franchises from all four of the biggest professional sports leagues in north america, as well as some major collegiate programs and climate organizations. today, the board is composed of climate change activists and owners of teams like the pittsburgh pirates and the tampa bay lightning. 

since the founding of the green sports alliance, the group has garnered support from former president barack obama, as well as gained a foreign ally in 2018 with the start of a new independent group called green sports alliance japan.

in 2016, the green sports alliance was recognized by president obama and the white house to honor oct. 6 as green sports day, said garret wong, member services manager for the green sports alliance. according to wong, being recognized by the obama administration is one of the alliance’s biggest accomplishments.

“to date, our organization, alongside our members & partners, have honored the occasion via a weekend-long social media campaign to raise awareness for the work taking place across the industry,” wong said. “our team is excited to continue sharing the incredible leadership within our network and the sports greening movement.”

the main purpose of the alliance is to “promote healthy, sustainable communities where we live and play.” they are accomplishing this by reaching out to communities in events that are meant to educate and spread the word on sustainability. the green sports alliance is also able to get some celebrity endorsement by getting professional athletes both young and old to participate. 

this organization is also growing day by day according to its members.

“the green sports alliance is always looking to explore new opportunities and partnerships with teams, universities, corporations, and leagues on a global level,” wong said. “with over 400 members working with more than 15 leagues globally, we are excited to continue to leverage the cultural and market influence of sports to promote healthy, sustainable communities where we live and play.”

the purpose of this initiative is to create a more eco-friendly hockey world. according to the official nhl green website, the league plans to inspire change in a multitude of ways. some of the biggest goals of the initiative is construct greener rinks, and make both the franchises of the nhl reach lower emissions and limit waste, as well as reaching out to communities to educate and inspire change.

since the introduction of nhl green, all 31 nhl franchises have done their part to help combat the climate crisis, including 2018 stanley cup champions the washington capitals. 

like all other professional sports teams, the capitals — and hockey in general — face the same questions when it comes to resources and how their events affect the climate.

when it comes to professional sporting events, food concessions have become a major source of revenue for a franchise’s home stadium. with so much food being prepared for fans hungry for more than just a win, the capitals plan with their food distributors to make sure there is limited waste as well as any unused food is put to good use according to megan eichenberg, senior manager of communications and publicity for the capitals.

“aramark food and beverage (our in house concessionaire) actively manages all of their warehouse cooking stock, with perishables being delivered daily, to limit as much waste as possible. from time to time, donations will be made to the capital area food bank with any excess product,” eichenberg said.

even though projects like that are helpful to the cause of preserving the planet, larger updates to the capitals’ home rink at capital one arena can be a challenge. but there are still options.

“we have recently replaced our membrane roof which allows us to be more energy efficient,” eichenberg said. “… we are limited in what weight can be added to the roof while still supporting the concert loads.”

capital one arena holds more than just hockey games for the capitals. the professional basketball franchise in d.c., the washington wizards, also have their home games in capital one arena, but the venue also holds concerts as well as other types of events.

but the arena continues to go through other positive changes to combat the climate crisis, according to eichenberg.

“we have replaced all of our metal halide sport lights in the bowl to energy-efficient leds and are transitioning all of our other arena lights to leds,” eichenberg said. “we partner with dcseu (dc sustainable energy utility) to identify potential greening opportunities to offset our energy consumption.

“we partner with wgl to provide energy to capital one arena through a 0.8-megawatt ground-mounted offsite solar supply solution in frederick county, maryland,” she said. “the solar energy farm accounts for roughly a quarter of our power annually.”

eichenberg also went on to explain how wgl — a family of energy utilities based in washington, d.c. — contributes to reducing emissions from the arena.

“wgl also donates carbon offsets to counterbalance emissions from washington wizards, washington capitals, concerts, and other events,” eichenberg said.

since the start of nhl green, the league has made some important strides and that has made companies want to work with them to make their sport more energy efficient. one of those companies is chemours, a spinoff of dupont, which focuses on finding climate solutions through chemistry. 

cynthia salitsky, the global communications leader at chemours, shared how nhl green made chemours want to partner with the league.

“the nhl promotes best practices and innovations that ultimately help to lower the ecological impact of the sport,” salitsky said. “the nhl aspires to ensure that hockey thrives by addressing the places and spaces where hockey is played – especially indoor ice arena infrastructure.” 

salitsky also shared how both the nhl and chemours hope these changes will have a positive impact for future generations.

“chemours has been a leader in refrigerant innovation to tackle upcoming regulatory and environmental challenges within this infrastructure, and the partnership with the nhl to provide refrigerant options for community rinks across north america will hopefully ensure that community rinks – which function as community hubs and sports venues – thrive for future generations,” salitsky said. 

“the opportunity to educate even more rink operators on our value proposition continues to be our focus, so that everyone in the industry has the knowledge to make informed decisions on what solution is right for them.”

like the 30 other nhl franchises, the washington capitals are partnered with the green sports alliance. according to garret wong, member services manager at the alliance, the nhl’s ability to reach out to its fanbase has been key.

“one component that the nhl green has done an exceptionally tremendous job at is its focus towards fan engagement and how the nhl teams across the league are communicating and reaching their fans,” wong said. “providing that message of community stewardship and individual leadership to their respective fans and patrons has elevated the platform for the organizations to impact the community outside of the walls of their facilities.”

sports has always been a social construct that brings people together, no matter their background. from highlighting issues that deal with civil rights to fair pay. with that in mind, perhaps it is time for sports to highlight the necessity of preserving the earth.

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read more about the green sports alliance.

while her words were flattering, i can’t help but wonder how critical i am to young lyvi’s life. as the executive director of the jackson hole kayak club, a small non-profit dedicated to the growth of whitewater kayaking, my primary job is to ensure her wellbeing and safety on the water. in a safe environment, i can coach and teach lyvi about the movements of the river, the varying features and hazards, and how much fun spending time outside on rivers can be. but, at the end of the day, i am a young man who shares little in common with a 12-year-old girl. i can’t help but wonder how a female coach could have provided a more rich experience for lyvi that day on the water.

the disconnect between lyvi and myself reflects a larger issue in outdoor recreation. across kayaking, skiing, climbing, mountain biking and other outdoor adventure sports, the majority of coaches, athletes and participants are white men. deeply embedded social structures and gender politics cause the gender gap in outdoor recreation, resulting in an outdoor culture where everyone looks, acts and thinks similarly. this “boys club” attitude of the outdoors can create invisible yet impassable boundaries that alienate women and people of color from interacting with the outdoors and participating in the activities that i enjoy the most. but, this is old news.

outdoor recreation has been immersed in white american culture since the 1800s. colonial influences shaped our perception of the outdoors and how we interact with nature, including driving through national parks and participating in extreme outdoor activities. these influences, paired with the traditional masculine influences of domination and conquest, frame the outdoors as a space for macho white males. though the recreation industry has a flawed history, playing outside is a critical step for young people to care about their environment.

according to the u.s. forest service, outdoor recreation introduces people to the outdoors and stimulates public interest in varying environmental issues, generating support for the preservation of air, water and wildlife. as climate change becomes an increasingly important issue, the importance of outdoor recreation thus also grows. and, while we seek various solutions to the complex problem of climate change, we must rely on fresh and different perspectives from various people to tackle such a problem. outdoor recreation opportunities must be open to everyone.

at a young age, outdoor recreation (kayaking and skiing specifically) inspired me to protect the spaces i love to play in, and find thoughtful solutions to various environmental issues. but, my passion for the environment did not drive my return to skiing and kayaking; my coaches did.

i fell in love with my ski and kayak coaches over the years. i looked up to their demeanor, their high level of skill in the sports i was beginning to enjoy, and at their own passion for the outdoors. i wanted to be like my coaches, and felt i strongly that i could grow up to be just like them. every single one of them was white and male. i only ever had one female ski coach, and she was a substitute.

in order to expand the range of people participating in outdoor recreation, we must create the space for a wider range of coaches and role models for the young people wanting to play outside.  a female coach for lyvi has the power to transform a scary situation into a light hearted one. her leadership and demeanor are both traits for lyvi to follow. and, finally, a female coach’s interaction with nature and the outdoors can pave the way for lyvi to develop her own passion and care for the environment, cultivating new ideas and passion necessary to combat global climate change.

in my role at the kayak club, i find myself in a unique situation where i can fix this systemic issue of exclusivity in outdoor recreation. i want to be more thoughtful in who i hire as coaches, who participates in our programs, and making my favorite sport accessible to anyone interested. these sports, along with the coaches and role models in my life, were critical in helping me find my voice and passions, and i hope to create the same opportunities for everyone and anyone interested in playing outside.

while i might have saved lyvi’s life that day on the water, with the right role models in her life she might be able to save our world.

fact: approximately 925 million people in the world do not eat enough to be healthy. that means that one in every seven people on earth goes to bed hungry each night.

fact: well over half of the world’s hungry people–some 578 million people–live in asia and the pacific region. africa accounts for just over one quarter of the world’s hungry population.

fact: it costs just us $0.25 per day to provide a child with all of the vitamins and nutrients he or she needs to grow up healthy.

fact: in 2012, the united nations world food programme (wfp) provided school meals to 24.7 million children in 60 countries.

fact: school meals encourage poor households to send children to school and keep them there.

fact: wfp works with governments to allow them to continue wfp-funded program themselves and to create and run their own sustainable school meal program.

listen to paul’s story, and then sound off in the comments – have you benefited from a school lunch program? how has food impacted your life?

leor reef and matt seedorff are seniors at the george washington university majoring in journalism.