Niagara College students are among those working behind the scenes to support the success of the upcoming Niagara 2022 Canada Summer Games. This March, two of those students – Allie Reddon and Lexi Barclay – are drawing upon their program expertise to support the Niagara Sustainability and Sport Series, happening March 25 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Presented by the Niagara 2022 Canada Summer Games, the Canada Games Council and Green for Life Environmental, the virtual summit will explore how the three pillars of social, environment and economic sustainability can be applied to operational planning, organizational structures and the delivery of major events. It’s the third and final installment in the series, which aims to shine a light on the link between sustainability and sport.
NC student Allie Reddon is completing her internship with the Niagara 2022 Canada Summer Games
Reddon, a student in the College’s Environmental Management and Assessment (EMA) program, and Barclay, a Broadcasting – Radio, Television and Film (BRTF) student, are both completing internships with the Niagara 2022 Games, a once-in-a-lifetime experiential learning opportunity.
Reddon has been involved in the planning of the Mar. 25 summit and is also working on several sustainability-related deliverables for the Games. One of those deliverables means calculating the carbon footprint of the summit by analyzing greenhouse gas emissions based on the amount of electricity consumed by event attendees. “Yes, even online events have an environmental impact,” she explained.
Reddon will go on to calculate the carbon footprint for the entire multi-sport event, happening from August 6 to 21. The calculation will track the environmental impact and serve as a benchmark for future Canada Games to help reduce their emissions.
“The focus of my work for the [Canada Summer Games] revolves around a much larger carbon footprint calculation – one that includes all the emissions caused by the two-week event,” she said. “This calculation will include emissions from electricity and natural gas consumption at each games venue, as well as ground and air travel fuel consumption.”
The opportunity is helping Reddon become work-ready. “I’ve gained valuable work experience with project management and carbon auditing, and I’ve learned so much from individuals working in carbon and sustainability-related fields.”
Reddon encourages other students to volunteer with the 2022 Canada Games to grow and develop their own career experience, advice echoed by Christopher Séguin, Media & Communications Manager for the Niagara 2022 Host Society.
“Ultimately, the Niagara 2022 Canada Summer Games will be hosted in Ontario for just the third time in the event’s history, and the first occasion in 21 years. So, this is truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for students, including those at Niagara College, to seek opportunities with the Games this summer that will undoubtedly help further their professional development,” he said.
Séguin noted that while over 3,200 volunteers have been recruited for the Games so far, more are needed to fill a variety of roles. “In total, there are more than 150 different Games-time volunteer roles in a wide variety of areas including sport operations, food services, merchandise sales, event services, and media relations — just to name a few,” he said.
Those interested in volunteering can apply online on the 2022 Canada Games volunteer page.
Interning with the Games’ broadcast team, Barclay is leveraging her broadcasting skills to support logistics for the virtual delivery of the summit. She says BRTF program coordinator Peter “Dutch” Vandenberg encouraged her to take the opportunity as a sport and venue intern to put her classroom learning into practice.
“Working with the [Canada Summer Games] organizers on this delivery allows me to utilize course objectives from the program,” said Barclay. “It also offers valuable networking opportunities.”
In January, the Niagara 2022 Host Society announced NC as the official Experiential and Digital Production Partner of the Games. Through the partnership, the College will be responsible for the management and oversight of the full digital production, led by Vandenberg.
The March 25 summit will also engage other members of the NC community, including Al Unwin, NC’s Dean of Business, Tourism and Environment, and Environmental Management and Assessment alumna Crystal Rabley (2013).
Rabley will host the summit, while Unwin will share his knowledge as an expert in the field, leading a breakout session on “Mainstreaming biodiversity: How nature based solutions can be integrated into sport and event management.” The discussion will centre around several key themes including how mainstreaming biodiversity in the community can inform future Canada Summer Games and major sporting events as a legacy component of the Games.
Sustainability x SPORT Summit happening this Friday, March 25 👇
Choose from one of three breakout sessions hosted by experts within the field of sustainable development.
Register today: t.co/Y4l0wMvg6i
Presented by @GFLenv pic.twitter.com/wKDQASz4K0
— Niagara 2022 Canada Summer Games (@2022CanadaGames) March 22, 2022
Previous installments of the Niagara Sustainability and Sport Series were offered in March and November 2021. NC’s Taryn Wilkinson, Sustainability Advisor, Amber Schmucker, Sustainability and Program Outreach Coordinator, and Shelley Merlo, Professor in the School of Hospitality, Tourism and Sport, have supported the series as members of the planning committee. NC’s Athletic Director Michele O’Keefe and Michael Audibert, Coordinator, Board of Governors, have also been involved.
It’s not too late to register for the event. Learn more by visiting the Niagara Sustainability and Sport Series website.
Related article
