Niagara College, in partnership with the Niagara 2022 Canada Summer Games and the Canada Games Council, is shining a spotlight on the relationship between sustainability and sport to show how the two worlds collide.
Niagara Sustainability x SPORT Series: An Introduction to Sustainability in Sport is a free virtual event, happening April 9 from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. via Zoom, that will explore the connection between the two areas through live panel discussions with a line up of industry experts.
During the three-hour event, which will be moderated by Dan Wilcock, president and CEO of the Canada Games Council, attendees can expect to gain an understanding of the impacts of climate change on sport, learn about career paths within sustainability and sport, and walk away with new insight into the future of this exciting field.
The event will tip off with remarks from two featured speakers who will share their insights on the topic: Adam van Koeverden, a four-time Canadian Olympic medallist (kayaking) who is currently the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Diversity and Inclusion and Youth and to the Minister of Canadian Heritage (Sport) and MPP for Milton, and Kevin Sandy, director/CEO, Iroquois Lacrosse Program and Kevin V. Sandy Business Consulting Group, co-founder of the Indigenous Lacrosse Association and a member of the Canada Games Indigenous Partnership Council. Van Koeverden will share his views on climate change and sport, while Sandy will discuss truth and reconciliation as it applies to sport and the environment.
Members of the NC community are also involved and have been working on the event in partnership with the Summer Games: Michael Audibert, coordinator, Board of Governors, Michele O’Keefe, associate director of Athletics and Recreation, Amber Schmucker, sustainability program and outreach coordinator and Taryn Wilkinson, sustainability advisor.
“Sustainability is something that is gaining more traction in the world of sport,” said Schmucker. “From the buildings sports are being played in, to the waste they produce and the life cycle of sporting equipment, sustainability is a lens that can be applied to almost anything.”
O’Keefe, who is a member of the Niagara 2022 Canada Summer Games Board of Directors, noted that while most people think of the environmental side of sustainability, the social and economic pillars are also important to the conversation.
“Climate change is a big part of the conversation right now in sport, but you can add things to your own definition of sustainability to see how the concept extends beyond the environment,” said O’Keefe. “For my personal working definition, I would include the game itself as needing to be sustainable looking at things like, ‘do we have enough coaches, officials and places to play?'”
O’Keefe also noted that the topic is of global concern with the relationship between sustainability and sport appearing in the United Nations’ Sustainability Development Goals (SDG’s), which includes goals around climate action and gender equality, among 15 others.
“One of the sport organizations I was speaking with has added a pillar for gender to their sustainability plan because there aren’t enough women involved in the sport,” said O’Keefe.
The topic is proving to be of great interest. To date, over 200 people have registered for the event representing 10 provinces, 15 different schools from across Canada and both provincial and national sports organizations. International registrants from seven different countries have also rallied around the event.
Among the event panelists are:
- Crystal Rabley, an alumna from NC’s Environmental Management and Assessment program (2013) who is the sustainability chair of the Niagara 2022 Canada Summer Games and a business performance analyst with Walker Industries’ Environmental Division;
- Natalie Knowles, a climate scientist, wilderness conservationist, and outdoor athlete;
- Seyi Smith, a retired two-time summer and winter Olympian in athletics and bobsleigh and current International Olympic Committee (IOC) Young Leader who has a passion for environmental sustainability along with his love for sport;
- Dan Reading, the head of sustainability for World Sailing, the international governing body of the sport which covers 145 national authorities;
- Rob Millington, an assistant professor with Brock University’s Department of Kinesiology and an affiliate with Brock’s Centre for Sport Capacity and the Social Justice Research Institute and the Canada Games Council Sustainability Advisory Group; and
- Geneviève Marchand, senior manager, event operations for Tennis Canada and co-chair of Tennis Canada’s sustainability committee.
NC president Sean Kennedy will close out the event along with Niagara 2022 Canada Summer Games CEO Dr. Barry Wright.
While the event is geared to post secondary and high school students studying geography, sport management or construction who have an interest in sustainability and the environment, all NC students, staff, faculty and community members are welcome to join. To register, visit: bit.ly/386t8Q0
To kick start the conversation around sustainability and sport ahead of the April 9 event, O’Keefe will be participating in an Ask Me Anything (AMA) Instagram live on March 30 at 4:30 p.m. Catch the AMA on Instagram @niagaracollege and @2022canadagames.
O’Keefe also noted that the Niagara Sustainability x SPORT event is a precursor to a summit being hosted in 2022 with the Canada Games. “The hope is that the event will be a legacy of the Canada Games moving forward to spark continued discussion around this important area,” she said.
