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A packed calendar of Green-Sports-themed webinars and summits will take place between now and mid-October. Here is a quick preview of what GSB is calling Green Sports Month.
COVID-19 has forced the reshuffling of the sports calendar in unprecedented ways. The French Open, which normally begins in late May, will start on September 27. And the World Series will share October with the NBA Finals, normally held in June.
Green-Sports is no different.
September and October were already scheduled to be busy months at the intersection of Green & Sports, pre-coronavirus, with a variety of seminars and other events on the docket.
And now that the Sports Positive and Green Sports Alliance Summits have moved to October from March and June, respectively, the calendar is bursting with engaging, virtual Green-Sports programming.
Here are the highlights.
Minimizing The Impact of Major Sports Events, webinar, Thursday September 17, Noon ET.
Anyone who follows sports knows that most events are being conducted in empty stadiums these days. But that won’t last forever as fans will be welcomed back soon enough. The pressure is on facilities and event operators to make the sports environment as COVID-safe as possible for fans, as well as athletes, staff and media alike.
Speaking of environment, how do green/climate concerns fit in for those responsible for putting on sports events?
That will be one of the topics discussed during this Thursday’s “Minimizing the Impact of Major Sports Events” webinar as part of the two-day SportsPro Live: Driving the New Era of Sports event, produced by SportsPro Media.
Susie Tomson, SailGP’s Director of Sustainability and Michael Lloyd, Stadium Manager at the Emirates Stadium, home of Arsenal F.C. will offer their perspectives, while also sharing some of the groundbreaking carbon footprint reduction advances their events and teams have made. Yours truly will moderate.
Click here to register for FREE.
Leveling The Playing Field: Sports & Climate Justice, webinar, Wednesday September 23, Noon ET.
Continued racial injustice and systemic oppression have inspired protests all over the world since the spring, sparked by the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and many others. Athletes, from the NBA to the English Premier League to tennis stars like the newly-crowned US Open champion Naomi Osaka, have joined the calls for action and sometimes taken the lead with high profile actions.
On the other hand, the intersection of racial injustice, climate change and climate/environmental injustice is not yet well-known. Sports can help change that.
“Leveling the Playing Field: Sports & Climate Justice” will look to shine a light on this important — and for many, new — topic. The panelists, who come from disparate corners of the sports world, have been brought together to bring new perspectives and fresh ideas to the fore:
- Chris Dickerson, retired Major League Baseball outfielder and co-founder of Players for the Planet
- Roger McClendon, Executive Director of the Green Sports Alliance
- Midge Purce, forward for Sky Blue FC of the NWSL and member of the U.S. Women’s National Team. The Harvard grad (’17) also was recently elected to her alma mater’s Board of Overseers on a Climate Forward/Divest from Fossil Fuels platform.
- Jenny Vrentas, Senior Writer for Sports Illustrated and EcoAthletes advisory board member
Environmental justice expert and Lotus Advisory managing director Kunal Merchant will moderate the webinar that is being hosted by EcoAthletes as part of Climate Week NYC.
Click here to register for FREE.
Sport Positive Summit, Thursday October 1-Friday October 2
The inaugural Sport Positive Summit, was originally planned for London’s Wembley Stadium on March 17-18. Unfortunately, the coronavirus had other ideas.
So, Claire Poole, Sport Positive’s indefatigable organizer, pivoted to putting on a two-day event starting on October 1 that, while virtual, will offer a mix of live and pre-recorded content, breakout discussions and group networking. The list of panels and break out sessions includes:
- “Reframing The Sport & Climate Movement In Light of 2020 Events”, moderated by Sheila Nguyen, Executive Director of the Sport Environment Alliance
- “Why Sport Cannot Go Back to Business As Usual”, moderated by Lucy Shea, CEO of Futerra
- “Diversity & Inclusion”, a breakout session that dives into how driving diversity and inclusion at all levels of global sport “will ensure a systemic and holistic approach to sustainability and climate change”, moderated by Mary Harvey, CEO, Centre for Sports and Human Rights
Click here to register.
Green Sports Alliance Summit, Tuesday October 13-14
The 10th annual Green Sports Alliance Summit, originally scheduled for Minneapolis in June, wraps up the first-ever virtual Green Sports Month.
And, just by reading the titles of the keynotes and panels, it is clear that the GSA will provide attendees with forward-looking content that meets our current COVID-racial justice-climate justice reality:
- “Beyond The Ballpark: The Future of Sports in Environmental Justice”
- “Sports Sustainability Leadership During a Global Health Pandemic”
- “Athletes Leveraging Their Voices for Impactful Change” featuring:
- Nelson Cruz of the Minnesota Twins/Players for the Planet
- Activist and WNBA champion Renee Montgomery
- Milwaukee Brewers pitcher; EcoAthletes Advisory Board Member and Players for the Planet ambassador Brent Suter
- Forrest Shearer, professional snowboarder and Protect Our Winters (POW) ambassador.
Click here to register.
Photo at top: Renee Montgomery, who opted out of the 2020 WNBA season, will speak at the upcoming Green Sports Alliance Summit (Photo credit: Renee Montgomery)
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