The "more sustainable" journey...

I wrote the following article as a way to share a piece of my journey to become "more sustainable". It's part fact + part opinion + part sharing, so just take it for what it's worth if you have the time to give it a read :-) Thank you!

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6 days in London on the "more sustainable" journey

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2 days were packed with presentations and collaborative discussions with new connections + long time colleagues during the Sport Positive Summit 2022 at Wembley Stadium. This Sport Positive event provided amazing content focused on (1) "the potential of putting sustainability at the heart of the sports business"; (2) how "to future proof operations, ensure long-term cost savings, and bring the benefits of a halo effect to your brand;" (3) "the crucial leadership role sport can take to drive sustainable development."

+ 2 days of meetings around the city with existing + potential partners to MAWKO discussing how to embrace, implement, and encourage "more sustainable" practices across the global sport + international football sector while ensuring alignment with brand + business development.... and partner meetings for the Sustainable Sport Foundation focused on advancing our global sustainable alliance that aims to empower youth to become the next-generation of leaders our communities + world needs.

+ 2 days of personal time spent catching up with family + friends, enjoying London on a few atypical sunny days, and catching a Premier League match (because what would a trip to England be without one).

I tried to keep my carbon footprint as low as possible on this trip by walking the city as much as possible (logging just under 50 miles), using mass transit, avoiding single use plastics, eating local goods + vegetables as much as possible, and buying / consuming only what I really needed during my travels. Combining personal + business on the same trip also falls into my journey to become "more sustainable".

These are all small steps that I am by no means bragging about, but rather am sharing to show that the little decisions we make in our daily lives can add up to make a massive difference if (or even better, when) we collectively consider what is best for the environment and our shared societies.

Without a doubt, there is much more that I can do to become “more sustainable” and if nothing else I hope that these words both push me and encourage you to consider how we can be "more sustainable".

In a recent podcast by The Sustainability Report , Julie Duffus (the International Olympic Committee – IOC 's senior sustainability manager) explained in her conversation with my new friend + amazingly well-spoken sustainability + sport strategist, communicator, and content creator Matthew Campelli that… we should all ask questions of ourselves, our local shops / markets and our favorite sporting clubs. Matt + Julie also attended and spoke at the Sport Positive Summit last week - Matt on a panel discussing "How we can leverage our collective force for good?" and Julie on a panel discussing "The challenge of Net Zero and Scope for Sport".

(1) Asking questions, (2) raising your hand to say you are curious about how you can become “more sustainable”, and (3) being interested in living a "more sustainable" life are all great first steps. All three actions will ultimately bring people / communities together in collaborative discussions about how we can collectively create solutions for the existing sustainability challenges that our world faces.

On the podcast, Matt + Julie also discuss how the barrier to entry for an athlete / fan / person to become a "Sustainability Champion" should be low. They emphasize that people should not be overwhelmed or intimidated to ask questions about sustainability, specifically discussing how they can each contribute to the changes our world and the global sport sector so urgently needs.

They explain that the simple act of asking questions holds an enormous amount of power and that we should all never underestimate the power of our voice. They acknowledge that some professional athletes and fans are afraid of speaking up on sustainability for (1) the fear of being criticized by others {ie: how can you talk about the need for renewable energy when you heat your home with oil} , (2) the fear of being labeled a hypocrite {ie: you support sustainability but drive a gas-powered car, eat meat, and travel on planes}, or (3) the fear of not knowing enough about the specific sustainability initiative that they would put their voice behind / support {ie: you believe we must collectively reduce carbon emissions but you are not 100% sure exactly how to do this or how this contributes to the destructive temperature rise our world is on track to endure}.

Fear of criticism, fear of being labeled, or fear of not being informed enough should never be reasons to quiet your voice.

As a personal example... I still own a gas-powered truck; I have a soft spot for steak, chicken, and pork (and have trouble removing them from my diet); we don't use renewable energy to power our home; and I travel on planes quite a bit for work. But... I do my best everyday to become "more sustainable." In the last year, I committed to using an e-bike (rather than my truck) as my year round daily-driver, reduced the amount of meat I eat in my diet, switched our home to more an efficient electric power heating system, and launched a youth sport foundation to help empower youth athletes on and off the field. The point is, I could definitely be criticized for talking about the need for sustainability when I don't live a fully-sustainable-life. But I do my best to reduce my impact on the environment and increase my impact on social challenges that exist in my community. I fully admit it's not nearly enough, and strive daily to reduce my negative impact + increase my positive impact even further. I've learned to use this as motivation in my journey to become "more sustainable" personally and professionally, rather than do nothing because of a fear of being labeled, criticized, or called out.

The type of questions that athletes / sport fans / we can ask is endless (per Julie + Matt's discussion), but below are a few examples...

Questions for ourselves:

Do I really need to buy this product? Or can I make do with what I have already? Consuming less reduces the value chain's impact on society and the environment.

Do I really need to throw this away? Or can I re-use / re-purpose it somehow? If not, would someone else be able to use it? This helps keep material out of the landfill, ocean, community / streets (litter) and contributes to a circular economy.

Could I travel more sustainably? Could I bike, e-bike, walk, or use mass-transit instead of taking a gas-powered car, taxi, or plane?

Do I really recycle as much as I can or should I try to do more even if it is not required in my community? Can I motivate others to recycle even though their community may not require it?

Do I and my business do as much as possible to support the under privileged and under served in our community?

Could I plant a garden (outside), grow potted vegetables (inside), and / or buy more produce from local markets?

Questions for local businesses:

(This includes supermarkets, shops, local retailers, +).

Can you remove plastic bags (and products made from non-renewable materials) from your shop and encourage (or even better require) your supplier to provide an alternative “more sustainable” packaging?

How are the vegetables / meats / products you offer created and how far + by what means of transportation (train, plane, automobiles, bike) has it traveled to arrive in your shop?

What can I do to help this business in their journey to become "more sustainable"?

Questions for sport clubs?

Can you bring more nature into the sport facility (stadium, offices, training grounds, retail, designated community / public areas) to encourage more biodiversity (1) there and (2) in the surrounding community? (ie: green wall, gardens, plants, pollinators, wildlife, park, +).

Do you use renewable energy to power the facility? Or to start... have all bulbs in the facility been switched over to LED?

Have you done everything possible to remove single use plastics from the catering program and retail operations?

Is there a convenient mass-transit and or bicycle infrastructure in place and do you encourage fans to use it as much as you could?

Do you offer incentives to fans who strive to become "more sustainable" and share their journey with their fellow fans?

Do you have a system in place to measure and report the club's (scope 1, 2, and 3) emissions?

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What does Sustainability really mean

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In 1987, the United Nations Brundtland Commission defined sustainability as:

“meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”

Merriam-Websters dictionary defines sustainability as:

"of, relating to, or being a method of harvesting or using a resource so that the resource is not depleted or permanently damaged"

As an example of sustainabilty in the sport sector, the International Olympic Committee treats sustainability as one of the three pillars in its strategic roadmap (along with credibility and youth). They built a sustainability strategy that "focuses on infrastructure and natural sites, sourcing and resource management, mobility, workforce, and climate" to ensure it is included in all aspects of the Olympic Games and in the daily operations of the Olympic Movement.

Both definitions as well as the IOC's sustainability strategy make sense, but there really is an endless list of what can be included in the wide-reaching concept of "sustainability", both inside and outside the global sport sector.

In the sport sector, many pressing sustainability challenges have multi-faceted spider-web-like connections to all aspects of business (operations, management, retail, commercial, sponsorship, marketing, +). They also connect and intertwine with sporting organization's stakeholders (staff, management, athletes, partners, fans, supply chain, +). All of these connections can quickly add up and appear so endless that it can often get overwhelming and / or intimidating... especially to a sport professional or sporting organization that is considering to take their first steps in aligning sustainability with their business model.

As a professional example... when I made the decision to consider my work's impact on sustainability, I was overwhelmed, intimidated, and had a fear of being called out all at the same time. So, rather than try to flip everything I did (personally and professionally), I started with what I knew would help lessen my impact on the environment and increase my contribution towards a better environment in the local community where I live and the global sector where I work.

Living close to the water nearly all my life, the health and well-being of our oceans has always been of importance to me. So it was a no-brainer to get involved in this initiative as I took steps to become "more sustainable". Many organizations contribute to this initiative (with Parley for the Oceans leading the way globally) and the UN's Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commision of UNESCO (IOC) has been working with its members for over 60 years to measure, understand, and manage the health of our shared oceans. They have also stated that over 50 trillion ( 50,000,000,000,000 ) pieces of plastic are currently in the ocean. So questions swirled in my head about how I could possibly help this initiative and if it was even worth the time + effort to attempt to do so. But I dove in, asked questions, joined the movement, and ultimately launched Ocean Plastics Series as a brand that uses recycled plastic to make super-comfortable performance products and contributes 100% of all profits to keeping our shared oceans clean + plastic-free.

After taking a few small steps to become "more sustainable" both personally and professionally, I decided to re-launch my strategy studio MAWKO as a Benefit Corp to publicly state my professional intent of prioritizing our impact on the environment and on social challenges. I also decided to join Common Goal, the global platform that "aims to inspire everyone in football to collaborate towards an equal and sustainable future for all." through a 1% pledge of my annual professional salary.

I continued to read books and take courses to really understand how to best align sustainability with both brand strategy and business management. And yet, (to use a British expression :-) "if I'm honest", the overarching idea of sustainability still seemed a bit intimidating to me due to its size and the publicly stated urgency that exists for the world to manage / address it.

Two specific things finally helped me work past the overwhelming nature and intimidation I was finding in the sea of sustainability.

First... I came to understand the categories of sustainability:

The three primary + equally-important overarching categories of sustainability are (1) environmental, (2) social, and (3) economic. A business needs to be economically sustainable so that it can simply remain in business. Without this, it is not possible to be socially or environmentally sustainable as the business would not exist. Economic sustainability cannot be ignored but it must always work in partnership with the equally important categories of environmental and social sustainability.

And second... the two clearest definitions of "sustainability" I have ever heard were shared with me by two very smart women:

"The interconnectedness of all things."( Elspeth Donovan )

and

"Common sense." ( Julia Pallé )

Understanding the three categories and simple definitions helped me see what sustainability really means.

Sustainability truly is interconnected in every aspect of our personal and professional lives. I believe that if we use common sense and fully embrace the idea that "sustainability" is an all-encompassing aspect wrapped up in how we live and work, we will be able to help solve many of the challenges that exist in our local communities and societies around the world.

If we each adjust small things in all aspects of our lives we have the best chance of collectively solving (and pushing organizations, regulators, and governments to solve) many of the world's most pressing sustainability challenges.

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Pressing Sustainability Challenges in Global Sport

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Below are some of the pressing sustainability challenges that are currently on the "hot seat" in the global sport sector. This is by no means a comprehensive or prioritized list. It just calls out a few challenges that effect both sport organization + athlete + fan + the community where sport events take place.

Air Quality - not only effects the performance + health of athletes, but it's quality also has a direct impact on the communities in sporting events' host cities, the environment where sporting events take place, and us as fans of the event who rely on clean air to live + breathe everyday.

Water Quality - like air quality this also effects both the performance + health of athletes as well as the fans, communities, and people who live in the communities where sport events are held.

Extreme weather conditions - everything from drastic temperature shifts, to rising tides in our rivers, lakes, and oceans plays a part in the health and well being of the global sport sector. Recent projections have shown that many stadiums will be flooded (literally) and outdoor sports fields unplayable due to extreme heat, in a few years.

Waste Streams, Energy Usage, Carbon Emissions, Biodiversity + Habitat Restoration, Carbon Emissions, Youth Empowerment, Mental Health, Regeneration + the Circular Economy, Community Betterment, Human Rights, Racism, Gender Equality , +++

The above is by no means an exhaustive list of pressing sustainability challenges. They are just some that are being addressed by people and organizations in the global sport sector right now. Please don't hesitate to share your thoughts in the comments section about other challenges that need our collective + urgent attention.

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Everyone Remain Positive + SPS22 Highlights

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In closing to this article, I'd like to send a huge applause to Claire Poole and her team at Sport Positive for hosting an extraordinary event at Wembley Stadium. I cannot imagine the amount of work that went into pulling this event and group together, and as a leader + pioneer in this sector Claire + Sport Positive should be very proud of their work - truly well done!

Think Differently

A speaker at SPS22 said that "expectations from fans are for sport clubs to make sustainability a priority." For this to happen, this drive for purpose must start from the executive team and be embedded in all departments of a club. It was made very clear that traditional sponsorships are a thing of the past. Two way partnerships (not sponsorships) are crucial to the economic sustainability of any sport organization and therefore require a deeper relationship between the rights holders + the partnering organization. Also, ideas must be welcomed from all departments, all stakeholders, and all partners. Sport orgs need to think outside the box on how to deliver compelling content that resonates with their fans and aligns with a purpose-led mission to become "more sustainable".

Be Authentic

I always refer back to the Keebler Elves on the topic of authenticity. Now in my 40s, I no longer believe that these characters actually make cookies. I guess I stopped believing that when I figured out that Santa's Elves didn't actually make Christmas gifts, but the point is that Keebler cookies will forever be associated with the Elves identity because it is authentic to the Keebler brand. When I was a kid, the Keebler Elves were on TV and were burned in my memory with the Keebler name. The brand identity was built from this "campaign" and anything that Keebler created (cookies and other sweets) in the future was tied directly to this association among its audience. There was an emotional connection between kids and the identity of the Keebler Eleves that was as naturally authentic as it gets.

There is a direct comparison here for a sport org, fan, or person starting to take their first steps towards becoming "more sustainable". Think about what is authentic to the roots of your club, your org, and / or yourself. What has meaning and hits home? Those are the areas of sustainability that you should consider going after, and deciding how you will speak to your audience about them. Do you want to share info on these topics with your audience? Or do you want to just show that you care and are taking action to become "more sustainable"? Either way, you have to be authentic about the sustainability initiative you plan to take action in and show how + why it has meaning to your club and yourself. If it does not have a close meaning and is not authentic (emotionally connected) to your club / you, then your audience will see right through it, not accept it, and be confused. Being authentic in your actions and communication is not hard - it requires you to be comfortable with who your org really is, was built from, and wants to become.

Invite.... Don't Force.

Don’t force people to join the sustainability initiative, but rather share information and welcome others to join the journey. The act of shaming people or companies who are being naive or neglectful to their impact on sustainability challenges is a hot topic. While I understand that the "worst offenders" need to be called out and (hopefully) kickstarted to make change happen, I've always had a problem with polls, rankings, or articles that shame people / companies who aren't aware of how negative their impact may be on the mission to become "more sustainable". I side with those that believe we should invite + welcome others to join the mission to become "more sustainable", even if that person / business has never made an effort to do so previously. No person or business wants to be told how bad of a job they are doing, but an honest conversation in the right context can go a long way to making them believe you are there to help them turn the ship towards becoming "more sustainable".

Be Positive.

Yes, it’s a crucial time. Yes, we have to act now and with urgency to solve so many sustainability challenges. But we must remain positive in our actions and conversations so more people believe their own actions can make a difference. There's not much room for shaming as it risks alienating people + organizations from transparently showing where they are (reporting) and taking the first steps (activating) towards a sustainability-led purpose. If we are a positive and believe we can make a difference, we will.

Competition vs Collaboration.

Professional sporting clubs are highly competitive as they battle for fans' attention, championships, and financial success. Sporting clubs don't usually share information with their competitors due to the need to own a competitive advantage in a crowded sport sector. However, when it comes to sustainability, we must all understand + embrace that collaboration is the only way we will collectively achieve success on our journey to become a "more sustainable" global society. During the tour of Tottenham Hotspur Football Club stadium (that I was lucky enough to be a part of last week), Jack Groh - Director of NFL's Environmental Program (NFL Green) - spoke about how they communicate + collaborate with Major League Baseball (MLB) , Major League Soccer and National Basketball Association (NBA) on their sustainability activations. The leagues do fight for fans' attentions as it relates to sports, but because sustainability challenges are both shared and urgently need to be addressed, the leagues must work together to create solutions for global pressing challenges and share ideas on the successful and unsuccessful practices they activate.

"More Sustainable"

I have used this phrase countless times in this article and have to give credit to Allen Hershkowitz, Ph.D. for sharing it with me + the audience at SandSI—Sport and Sustainability International 2022 General Assembly earlier this year.

The idea that a company or person is or can become fully sustainable is not attainable, and should never be suggested to any audiences in or out of the sport sector. That is why it is so important to talk about being "more sustainable". There will always be a way to be "more sustainable", and there will never be a time when we are (fullly) sustainable.

Sustainability is a journey - it is not a destination.

However, this should not / cannot scare or prevent us from carrying out a collaborative mission towards becoming sustainable. It just means that everyday we must aspire to become "more sustainable", being honest with ourselves and each other about what we are doing and what we can do better for the equally important well-being of the environment, society, and business.

The journey to become sustainable is truly never ending. And that is fine. We can only do what we are each capable of doing. And if we are honest with ourselves in what we do and never stop asking questions to understand if we can do more, we will collectively be on the "more sustainable" journey. That is all we can do.

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Thank you

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A massive thank you to all the speakers, leaders, champions, and businesses who shared their insight at the Sport Positive Summit 2022. Each one has:

(1) inspired me to become "more sustainable" in my life + work,

(2) made me feel comfortable to continue to raise my hand to ask questions,

and

(3) pushed me to invite others on the collaborative journey to become "more sustainable".

If you have made it this far :-) thanks very much for reading and feel free to leave comments below or reach out to me anytime to discuss your journey to become "more sustainable".

Sustainability Leaders, Speakers, and Champions:

Claire Poole Julia Pallé Aileen McManamon Dale Vince Lindita Xhaferi-Salihu Hannah Mills Allen Hershkowitz, Ph.D. Mark Burrows Henry Chilcott Sally Bolton OBE Massimo Calvelli David Garrido Chris Dickerson Jeremy Casebeer Matt Hill Paul Guest Olly Scadgell Jaime M. Hannah Forshaw Philip Russell Conor Barry Fiona Morgan Hannah Mills Julie Duffus Lee Spivak Jaz Rabadia MBE Clementine Painter Victoria McMillan Rafa Muela Susie Tomson Brian McCullough Anne Dietrich, PhD Randolf Waters Manuel Parga David Stubbs Amy Munro Jonathan Smith Christian Stamm Vincent Reulet Philip Quinn Dominique Santini Caroline Carlin AIEMA Roger McClendon Claire Callinan Katerina Kolaciova Bob Ramsak Barbara Silva Chris Hocknell Qasá A. Annie Horn Simon Futcher Cert Bus.M Sander, van Stiphout Kim Wilson Norman Vossschulte Lucy Shea Sheila N. Nguyen Leilani Munter Sarah Hanffou Nana David Pocock Joe Cooke Anna Hursey Zoe Morse Ellis Spiezia Morten Thorsby Seán McCabe Matthew Campelli Elliot Arthur-Worsop Victoria McMillan Jonathan Kane Hugo Milner David Thomas Greig Mailer Sarah Wilkin Julia Wall-Clarke Mie Kajikawa FRSA Ayano Suga Jamie Farndale Tayshan Hayden-Smith Melissa Wilson Guillermo Castro Aly Criscuolo, MBA in Sustainability Madeleine Orr Dr. Cristiana Pace, CEng Nick German Dave Lockwood Genevieve Weston Margrett Natalya Cole Lew Blaustein Helen Taylor Natasha Messier Ben Fisher Rachel Mwangi Eric Solem Alexandra Rickham PLY Jessica Murfree, Ph.D. Katie Cross Jana Janotova Philip Jenkins Pierluigi Zacheo, MEng, MSc , George B. Hugo Inglis OLY Joe West Charlie Hyman Costa Nhamoinesu Susan Groh Prof. Wayne Visser Rebecca Henderson Örjan Lundberg Geert Hendriks Pierre Germeau Orsolya Tolnay Ingrid Beutler Omar Mitchell Tiberio Daddi Antonio Vizcaya Abdo Margret Korn Mike Paget Brian Boring Enric Ripoll Michael Day Dr Ceri Bowley CMgr MCMI Chris Ucko Dave Frieder Bill Heiser Stephanie Molina y Vedia Philipe Bazilio Renee Perkins Jillian Fraker Courtney McKechnie Bisy Stancheva Joao Coutinho Tim Vieth Benjamin Zieff Anthony Ricketts Guy Rippon Philip Jenkins Steven G. Simon Li Town of Nantucket George B. Stuart McInnes, MBE Dane Hinchy Nicola Spirig, OLY Jürgen Griesbeck Jamille Matt Henry C. Staelens @todd boehly Eric Solem Hugo Inglis OLY Paul Guest Erin Schnieders Matthew Barrett Prof. Wayne Visser Todd L. Kline Thom Rawson Jon Varney Gaia Pretner, PhD Mike Geddes Marcela Muñoz Téllez John Ledwidge Marisa Schlenker Filippo Veglio Justin DeKoszmovszky Javier Sobrino, PhD Silvio Vigato Jonathan Haidt Zach Thornton Richard Arnold Tom Watt

Sustainabilty Driven Organizations:

MAWKO Sustainable Sport Foundation SandSI—Sport and Sustainability International Forest Green Rovers Football Club Liverpool Football Club Southampton Football Club Aston Villa Football Club SKY Sports United Nations Football For Future Formula E Tottenham Hotspur Football Club National Football League (NFL) National Football League (NFL) N National Football League (NFL) r (NFL)en The Football Association ALL ENGLAND LAWN TENNIS CLUB (WIMBLEDON) LIMITED(THE) ATP Tour Players for the Planet One Tree Planted LAWN TENNIS ASSOCIATION LIMITED World Rugby Bluewater Group SailGP International Olympic Committee – IOC WM UNFCCC UN Just Eat Takeaway.com adidas Manchester United Manchester City Football Club Arsenal F.C Real Betis Balompié Think Beyond Texas A&M University Xylem Spanish Olympic Committee 5T Sports Group 11th Hour Racing FIFA GEO Foundation for Sustainable Golf UEFA Munster Rugby Wasserman Live Green Sports Alliance World Athletics #FIA Eight Versa National Basketball Association (NBA) Futerra Philadelphia Eagles McLaren Racing Johan Cruijff ArenA Veolia FIFA Women's World Cup™ @weplaygreen Chicago Red Stars 1. FC Union Berlin Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games Extreme E Paddle UK Birmingham County Football Association Count Us In #ThePlanetLeague #CUP26 Brentford Football Club Football For Future Associação Jadir de Taekwondo - AJTKD Bohemian Football Club Sport For Smile Nagoya Diamond Dolphins Rugby Scotland Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL) Grow to Know (Grow2Know CiC) Athletes of the World #ColumbianOlympicCommittee UEFA New York Road Runners The Sport Ecology Group Ennovation Consulting BBC Sport BBC BBC Studios Albert EcoAthletes EFL (English Football League) Cambridge United Football Club Parley for the Oceans Cambridge United Foundation Carlisle United FC World Sailing Pledgeball SportsPro High Impact Athletes Bloomsbury Football CSPRO ACADEMY Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy National Hockey League (NHL) Life Tackle #SportPositive2022 Oakland Roots Sports Club Common Goal Goal Click Think:Kids at Massachusetts General Hospital