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Leveraging Athlete Influence for Climate Leadership – A Conversation with Lew Blaustein
Manage episode 446448648 series 2805813
In this week's episode of the Climate Confident podcast, I’m joined by Lew Blaustein, founder and CEO of EcoAthletes, an organisation dedicated to inspiring athletes to lead the charge on climate action. We delve into Lew’s fascinating career pivot, from sports marketing to environmental advocacy, sparked by the events of 9/11 and a pivotal Tom Friedman article on energy dependence and global conflict.
Lew shares the unique influence athletes hold in shaping public opinion and how EcoAthletes works to empower them, providing the tools and resources needed to overcome challenges like misinformation, fear of backlash, and the "too sciency" perception around climate change. We discuss how athletes have led on social issues in the past – from civil rights to gender equality – and how they can bring that same drive to the climate crisis.
A standout topic is the EcoAthletes Collegiate Cup, where student athletes compete to reduce methane emissions by converting exercise into environmental currency, proving that sports and sustainability can go hand in hand. Lew also highlights Vote Climate, a campaign encouraging U.S. voters to make climate a priority in elections.
Whether you’re a climate advocate or just curious about the intersection of sports and sustainability, this episode offers a practical look at how athletes can become powerful agents of change. Listen in to explore how passion, competition, and leadership on the field can translate into meaningful climate action.
Tune in and join the conversation!
BTW - I have to apologise for the quality of my audio in this episode. We had builders in, and so I wasn't in my normally audio treated recording space. I did my best to fix the audio, but you can still realise it isn't up to its normal quality. Sorry.
Discover how technology is reshaping our lives and livelihoods.
Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify
Podcast supporters
I'd like to sincerely thank this podcast's amazing supporters:
- Jerry Sweeney
- Andreas Werner
- Stephen Carroll
- Roger Arnold
And remember you too can Support the Podcast - it is really easy and hugely important as it will enable me to continue to create more excellent Climate Confident episodes like this one.
Contact
If you have any comments/suggestions or questions for the podcast - get in touch via direct message on Twitter/LinkedIn.
If you liked this show, please don't forget to rate and/or review it. It makes a big difference to help new people discover the show.
Credits
Music credits - Intro by Joseph McDade, and Outro music for this podcast was composed, played, and produced by my daughter Luna Juniper
Chapters
1. Leveraging Athlete Influence for Climate Leadership – A Conversation with Lew Blaustein (00:00:00)
2. [Ad] Digital Disruption with Geoff Nielson (00:27:26)
3. (Cont.) Leveraging Athlete Influence for Climate Leadership – A Conversation with Lew Blaustein (00:28:04)
222 episodes
Manage episode 446448648 series 2805813
In this week's episode of the Climate Confident podcast, I’m joined by Lew Blaustein, founder and CEO of EcoAthletes, an organisation dedicated to inspiring athletes to lead the charge on climate action. We delve into Lew’s fascinating career pivot, from sports marketing to environmental advocacy, sparked by the events of 9/11 and a pivotal Tom Friedman article on energy dependence and global conflict.
Lew shares the unique influence athletes hold in shaping public opinion and how EcoAthletes works to empower them, providing the tools and resources needed to overcome challenges like misinformation, fear of backlash, and the "too sciency" perception around climate change. We discuss how athletes have led on social issues in the past – from civil rights to gender equality – and how they can bring that same drive to the climate crisis.
A standout topic is the EcoAthletes Collegiate Cup, where student athletes compete to reduce methane emissions by converting exercise into environmental currency, proving that sports and sustainability can go hand in hand. Lew also highlights Vote Climate, a campaign encouraging U.S. voters to make climate a priority in elections.
Whether you’re a climate advocate or just curious about the intersection of sports and sustainability, this episode offers a practical look at how athletes can become powerful agents of change. Listen in to explore how passion, competition, and leadership on the field can translate into meaningful climate action.
Tune in and join the conversation!
BTW - I have to apologise for the quality of my audio in this episode. We had builders in, and so I wasn't in my normally audio treated recording space. I did my best to fix the audio, but you can still realise it isn't up to its normal quality. Sorry.
Discover how technology is reshaping our lives and livelihoods.
Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify
Podcast supporters
I'd like to sincerely thank this podcast's amazing supporters:
- Jerry Sweeney
- Andreas Werner
- Stephen Carroll
- Roger Arnold
And remember you too can Support the Podcast - it is really easy and hugely important as it will enable me to continue to create more excellent Climate Confident episodes like this one.
Contact
If you have any comments/suggestions or questions for the podcast - get in touch via direct message on Twitter/LinkedIn.
If you liked this show, please don't forget to rate and/or review it. It makes a big difference to help new people discover the show.
Credits
Music credits - Intro by Joseph McDade, and Outro music for this podcast was composed, played, and produced by my daughter Luna Juniper
Chapters
1. Leveraging Athlete Influence for Climate Leadership – A Conversation with Lew Blaustein (00:00:00)
2. [Ad] Digital Disruption with Geoff Nielson (00:27:26)
3. (Cont.) Leveraging Athlete Influence for Climate Leadership – A Conversation with Lew Blaustein (00:28:04)
222 episodes
All episodes
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