Our Athletes for the Earth come from a wide range of backgrounds, from Olympic medalists to professional athletes in the NFL and NHL, and recreational athletes.
By National Assembly for Wales from Wales – Hannah Mills, Owain Doull, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=52241778
Hannah Mills, OBE
Hannah Mills OBE is the most successful female sailor in Olympic history with two gold and one
silver medal. Hannah has an intense passion for the environment as well. She saw a lot of
plastic littering beaches, marinas, and harbors while traveling the world for events during the
Olympic cycle that culminated in Rio 2016. This sparked her desire to protect our oceans and
the earth. These days, she’s making the most of her network, platform, and athletic background
to spread awareness, alter behavior, and influence people, organizations, and governments to
do the same.
Hannah is a Sustainability Ambassador for the International Olympic Committee (IOC). In 2019,
she launched the Big Plastic Pledge, an athlete-led movement aimed at eliminating the use of
single-use plastic in sports and beyond. Additionally, she is a co-founder of Athletes of the
World, a group of athletes working towards a positive impact on climate change.
‘The Olympic Games are such a huge global event; they create an opportunity to showcase
solutions and inspire change’ Hannah says. ‘They provide an amazing platform – around half the
global population watches at least some of the Games on television. ‘I feel we have a
responsibility to use this platform to highlight the need for all of us to live and operate in a
more responsible manner. That’s where the athletes come in, and that’s why I believe that elite
sportsmen and women can and should engage in sustainability,’ she adds.
Hannah was awarded the title of Female World Sailor of the Year in 2016. She was also honored
with the appointment of Member of the Order of the British Empire for her contributions to
sailing in the 2017 New Year Honours list. In 2021, Hannah won the Rolex World Sailor of the
Year award and was appointed Order of the British Empire for her continued services to sailing
and the environment.
Zdeno Chara
Zdeno Chára is a former Slovak professional ice hockey defenseman who served as captain of the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League.
Chris Mazdzer
Chris Mazdzer is an American Luger, who has competed at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver and the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi.
-2010, 2014, 2018, 3x Olympian
-Olympic Silver Medalist
-2020, World Championships Bronze (team event)
-7x National Champion
Ripu Daman Bevli
Ripu Daman Bevli is an athlete, fitness enthusiast, and Pioneer of the Litter Free India movement. He is credited with starting India’s first eco-fitness trend – combining fitness and running to fight the garbage crisis in the country. He is also known as the Plogman of India and was honored with the titles of ‘FIT India Ambassador’ and ‘Plogging Ambassador of India’ by the Honorable Prime Minister of India and Sports Minister.
Ripu Daman Bevli, also an Earth Day Network India Star, is on a mission to make India Litter Free.
By Sandro Halank, Wikimedia Commons, CC-BY-SA 3.0, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=64509975
Shiva Keshavan
– Shiva Keshavan, (born 25 August 1981) is a six-time Olympian and the first Indian representative to compete in luge at the Winter Olympic Games. He set a new Asian speed record at 134.3 km/h (83.5 mph) after beating the previous record of 131.9 km/h (82.0 mph) and won a gold medal in the 2011 Asian Luge Cup at Nagano in Japan.
– In 2020, Keshavan was appointed as the chief coach and the High-Performance Director of the national luge team by the Luge Federation of India.
Mark Hatton
Mark Hatton has represented Team Great Britain at two Olympic Games, making his debut at the Salt Lake City Games in 2002. Mark finished in 25th position as the highest placed slider from a nation without a luge track.
In 2006, Mark placed in 18th position in the men’s singles event at the FIL World Cup in Igls, his best finish at the competition.
-2002, 2006, 2x Olympian in Luge
-2010, Paralympics GB Team Attache, Paralympic Winter Games, Vancouver
-2016, Team GB Coach, Youth Olympics
-2018, Team Korea Coach, Olympic Winter Games, Pyeongchang
“I use non toxic cleaning products in my home, take the recycling that my district won’t take to a private recycling depot every month, donate my used clothes to thrift stores, buy unpackaged foods where I can, use reusable wax cloth and not Saran wrap to keep leftovers fresh, grow my own herbs and veggies, use a push lawn mower, and clean my home with thieves oil.”
By Ashley Barker for the Camp of Champions Snowboard & Ski Summer Camp – https://www.flickr.com/photos/campofchampions/4274771615, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=55693378
Elena Hight
The two-time Olympian, X Games gold medalist, and US Open Champion is one of the sport’s leading ladies who continues to push its limits. In 2013, Hight became the first snowboarder–male or female –to land a double backside alley-oop rodeo in competition.
-Two-time Olympian
-X Games Gold Medalist
-Seven-time X Games Medalist
-Burton US Open Champion
-Burton US Open Champion
-First female to land a frontside 900 in competition at 13 years old
-First snowboarder to land a double backside alley-oop rodeo in a halfpipe contest at the 2013 Winter X Games
-Featured in the 2013 ESPN Magazine Body Issue
-Oxygen Magazine’s February 2014 Cover Girl
-Included in the coveted all women’s feature film Full Moon
-First Woman to pursue a wholly human powered project with snowboarding Icon Jeremy Jones
Louie Vito
-Four-time Grand Prix overall halfpipe champion (2008, 2009, 2011, 2012)
-Five-time Winter X Games medalist (two gold, one silver, two bronze)
-2013, U.S. Open at Vail, Colo., bronze medalist
-2013, World Cup at Copper Mountain, Colo., halfpipe bronze medalist
-2012, Dew Cup overall halfpipe champion
-2012, U.S. Open silver medalist
-2011, Dew Cup overall halfpipe champion
-2010, U.S. Open silver medalist
-2009, World Cup at La Molina, Spain halfpipe silver medalist
By Thatcher Cook for PopTech – https://www.flickr.com/photos/poptech/8100254760/in/set-72157631762544103, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=38535219
Amy Purdy
World-class American snowboarder and 2014 Paralympic bronze medalist. Author and co-founder of Adaptive Action Sports.
Morten Thorsby is a Norwegian professional footballer who has represented the Norway National Football Team on 17 occasions. Presently, he plays as a defensive midfielder for Italian Club, Genoa CFC. Morten has also played for several other European clubs, most notably Stabæk, SC Heerenveen, Union Berlin and Sampdoria.
Aside from football, Thorsby is known for his commitment to environmentalism. He strongly advocates for action against planetary crises and founded the We Play Green Foundation to encourage the football family to speed up the green shift. In Italy, Norway, at the European Commission, he has met with municipal and national leaders to support improved climate policy. In August 2021, he switched his shirt number to 2 to raise awareness of climate change by the internationally adopted Paris Agreement of keeping global warming well below 2 °C above pre-industrial times. He was named ‘Young Athlete of The Year’ at The BBC Green Sport Awards 2022.
Article by United Nations Environment Programme.
OTHER PARTICIPATING ATHLETES/CELEBS INCLUDE:
-Twelve world-class athletes on being green
-Athletes for the Earth – Winter Olympians
-Harlem Globetrotters – A Billion Acts of Green
-Olympic Nordic Combined Gold Medalist Billy Demong
-Olympic Alpine Skiing Bronze Medalist Andrew Weibrecht
-World Champion Freeskier and founder of the Save Our Snow Foundation, Alison Gannett
-Boston Bruins Defenseman Andrew Ference
-Olympic Gold Medal Swimmer Aaron Peirsol
-NFL Linebacker Dhani Jones