How Pro Sports Can Be a Player in Climate

Americans spend $56 billion attending sporting events each year—but at what cost to the climate? From stadiums packed with energetic fans to food, beer and waste, athletics can have a big carbon footprint.

But sports franchises are learning that culture can have a bigger impact than carbon, with many embracing sustainability in venue design, waste, water, energy and food operations. The Green Sports Alliance is helping teams reduce their environmental impact in football, baseball, basketball, soccer and even NASCAR. Meanwhile, the Golden State Warriors and New York Yankees recently signed the United Nations Sports for Climate Action Initiative, a framework that guides and catalyzes climate action.

Could the core values of athletics—integrity, teamwork, and commitment—be the same values we need to tackle the climate challenge? Join us for a conversation on how sports are changing the climate game with Dusty Baker, solar entrepreneur and special adviser to the San Francisco Giants, Roger McClendon, executive director of the Green Sports Alliance, and Jim Thompson, founder of the Positive Coaching Alliance.

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Baker photo by Jerry Reuss