Founder of Players for the Planet
What is Player for the Planet?
As a co-founder of Players for the Planet, I created the organization to empower fellow athletes to channel their influence into eco-consciousness in ways that inspire the present and future of sports toward environmental stewardship.
Can you tell us about your career as a professional baseball outfielder and how you came to create Players for the planet?
I’m fortunate to have grown up in California, one of the world’s most biodiverse places. Growing up, learning about the interconnectivity of all ecosystems gave me a good base for understanding the importance of how we affect the balance in nature... and — living in a city of 12 million people — of how we interact with nature and the effects of our irresponsibility concerning natural resources, pollution and waste. As a young athlete, I remember kids with asthma missing practice because of air quality. Friends becoming ill from water quality caused by toxic runoff from factories, refineries and coastal developments. When surfing or at the beach, I would find myself marveling at the amount of trash left behind by beach goers and how easily it makes its way into the water…
Summers were spent at the beach and in the waves. Family trips to the Florida Keys, aquarium visits and snorkeling adventures instilled a sense of wonder at the life beneath the surface. Observing sea creatures up close imparted valuable lessons on the importance of these fragile, interconnected ecosystems. Now I’m committed to protecting them.
In 2008 I started noticing the appalling amount of waste a team can produce over the course of an inning — and then multiplying that by the amount of waste produced by spectators in the stands.
The real perspective shift came when I was sick over the holidays and stayed in on New Years Eve, 2007. I sat on the couch and watched movies all night and one of those films happened to be Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth. That documentary changed everything for me and stretched my perspective from my own region to our global impacts. That is when I truly learned the vast consequences that lay before us if we don’t make a conscious effort to change.
What are your current main actions carried out by PFTP to protect the environment?
This is where the educational component is vital. It’s important for people to know how simple it is, and often all they need is a roadmap on how to participate. This can be done on such a small scale that everyone is capable of, given their level of commitment. I think one of the greatest and most unfortunate trends today is that people think their efforts won’t be enough. People ask, “well what difference can one person make, me committing to this isn’t going to affect anything or solve the whole problem.” We don’t have to be athletes or celebrities to make a real difference. The most important thing we can do is use our personal power and our rolodexes to transform our businesses or institutions. We have enormous power together to multiply all of our talents, all of our energy, resources and influence to solve this problem.
The sentiment towards the environment has changed over the last 5 year as this new generation of athletes understands the implications of what they and their families will be left behind for them if action isn’t taken. This generation not only understand the negative impacts of our ways but most importantly each athlete has a specific concern towards any of the myriad of environment issues that we face. Thats why it was important for us to start to break our initiatives into categories. These categories now range from Ocean Conservation as a result of the massive issue that our Dominican athletes face regarding the plastic crisis. Recycling (Electronic Waste), Conservation (loss of habitat/species loss and the importance of trees), Reuse Repurpose, Avoidance of Single Use Plastics, Sustainable Engergy
Can you tell us more about your latest program in the Dominican Republic?
Sports are universally uniting. No other industry has the same power to emotionally connect and rally diverse masses around common goals and traditions. Athletes are therefore the perfect ambassadors for change, and their playing fields are the perfect venues for inspiring it.
We as athletes can leverage the cultural and market influence of sports to promote healthy, sustainable communities where we live and play. The professional sports industry includes some of the world’s most iconic, inspirational and uniting organizations. In a cultural shift of historic proportions, the industry is now using its influence to advance ecological stewardship. North America’s professional leagues, teams and venues have collectively saved millions of dollars by shifting to more efficient, healthy and ecologically intelligent operations. At the same time, the sports greening movement has brought important environmental messages to millions of fans worldwide.
A professional athlete's life is known to be very demanding. As a leader, how do you motivate and get athletes involved in PFTP programs?
I think it’s all about relationships. It also helps that the dynamic and how we look at environmental issues has changes. More people are adept to the ill effects of our lack of stewardship. Most of these guys are leaders in the clubhouse and well respected, and when they lead by example, typically others will follow. This organization was started before social media like Instagram and Twitter, so it’s been a rare case of social media being a blessing that it provides a platform for ambassadors to educate and spread awareness.
The young population is going to shape our future world. How have you involved amateur athletes in your program?
I developed a Student-Athlete Ambassador program. It was designed to foster a community that works together to make athletic sustainability and environmental responsibility more accessible, inclusive, and applicable to the everyday lives of student-athletes.
Players for the Planet Student Athlete Ambassadors connect athletes on campuses across the country to promote and drive environmental sustainability in athletics. Through education, advocacy, and collaboration, Players for the Planet aspires to make environmental sustainability more visible and accessible to student-athletes, athletic departments, and college campuses.
There are many social and environmental causes to support. Why did you decide to focus your advocacy work on protecting the planet? Are you involved in any other social project?
Professional sports, in itself, is one of the most wasteful industries in the country...across the board, just by the way the four major American sports and their venues generate trash in the millions of tons. The industry’s growing embrace of energy efficiency, renewable energy, recycling, water conservation, safer chemicals and healthier food is educating millions of fans about the importance of protecting the environment and natural resources on which we all depend. Through our leadership on the field, court or rink, professional and collegiate sports—and their sponsors—are showing their many fans practical, cost-effective solutions to some of our planet's most dire ecological issues.
I was also recently put on the board of advisors for The Players Alliance.
A group of more than 100 black current and former professional baseball players, united to use our collective voice and platform to create increased opportunities for the black community in every aspect of our game and beyond.
Are you thinking about partnering with other sports athletes?
Absolutely, we are always looking to expand our roster. We don’t discriminate. Haha
It only appears to be a baseball organization because of the large influence of MLB events and the DR initiatives.
Chris Dickerson – SUSTAINABLE Guide
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If you're in the market for an everyday, durable office or travel bottle with some style, then S’well is my recommendation. They partnered with us to create these bottles, that we distributed to every player in the Tampa Rays organization in hopes of massively reducing the amount of plastic used in the team’s clubhouse. This is the original initiative that Players for the Planet was founded on.
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Collapsible silicone coffee cups and reusable water bottles. I think this design is ingenious and practical. A great way to reduce the number of coffee cups we use on a daily basis. Eventually, as they make more products from recycled ocean plastic, we will work to create a closed-loop system. Continuing our work in the DR, we’ll then be able to use the plastic collected from the beach to create useful and imaginative products.
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Some of the most comfortable essentials I’ve ever worn. They also have a line of shirts made of approximately 11 plastic bottles per shirt. I believe in the quest for solutions to repurpose this massive excess of plastic that doesn't get recycled.
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Personal solar panels that can fit on a window sill like a piece of art. They can charge household appliances, phones and lights. It’s bringing sustainable energy right INTO your home.
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They’ve been a supporter of ours since Day 1. They were one of the first companies to support us on a team level by providing us bottles in the clubhouse. Since then, they have developed a number of reusable lunch kits. After witnessing the damage that styrofoam and clamshell containers can have on the environment, I feel like these are essential items for anyone who’s on the go.
