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I am excited to moderate and co-host of “Playing on Thin Ice: Sports for Climate Action,” a breakfast panel at Climate Week NYC on September 25. The focus of the discussion will be on the negative impacts of climate change on winter sports and what’s being done about them.
Historically, sports has not played a big role at Climate Week NYC, the annual showcase produced by The Climate Group in concert with the City of New York and the UN, that is designed to catalyze innovative climate action locally and around the world.
That will begin to change with “Playing on Thin Ice: Sports for Climate Action,” a breakfast panel I will have the pleasure of moderating Wednesday, September 25.
We will introduce our audience to the idea that sports has the power to scale climate action by speaking primarily on winter sports, the area of sports that has already greatly been impacted by climate change.
Hopefully we will be successful in our attempt to demonstrate to The Climate Group that sports should have a regular, prominent place in future Climate Week NYC’s lineups.
Our All-Star panel will include:
- Winston Binch of Protect Our Winters, the nonprofit that engages Olympic and other elite winter sports athletes (skiers, snowboarders, etc.) to talk about the climate crisis in their communities and in the halls of Congress.
- Omar Mitchell, the NHL’s VP of sustainable infrastructure and growth initiatives, and one of the driving forces behind the league’s groundbreaking sustainability programs.
- Sergey Rybakov, UNFCCC steering committee member for The Last Game, a pond hockey game to be played above the Arctic Circle in Canada by ex-NHL players to draw increased attention to the climate crisis and to spur climate action. It is scheduled for April 2020.
Winston Binch, Protect Our Winters (Photo credit: Winston Binch)
Omar Mitchell (Photo credit: NHL)
Sergey Rybakov (Photo credit: UNFCCC)
Co-hosting the event is Kristen Fulmer of Recipric, an agency that “supports ‘Change Agents’ in crafting, implementing, and measuring strategies to ‘redefine their home field advantage.’ These Change Agents are sports organizations, venues, and events that aim to positively evolve the sports industry through environmental and social sustainability efforts.”
Krisen Fulmer of Recipric (Photo credit: Kristen Fulmer)
Registration is FREE and is open for those of you who will be in New York City on September 25 for Climate Week and/or the UN General Assembly meeting. A zero-waste breakfast will be served for the event which will run from 8:30-10:30 AM. It will take place at Fordham University’s Lincoln Center Campus in McMahon Hall at 155 West 60th Street, Room 109.
Click HERE to sign up for the panel as seating is limited.
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