Niagara Sustainability and Sport

Why Sustainability and Sport?

Sustainability and sport can sound like an unlikely pairing. The Sustainability x Sport: An Introduction to Sustainability in Sport series sought to provide a deeper understanding of how these two worlds come together to shed light on the human impacts of climate change at a local and global scale. Sustainability in sport has become more relevant as the impacts of climate change on the environment and our social systems become more prevalent.

Take a moment to ask yourself; am I concerned about the presence of snow when I want to go skiing at my local hill? Has there been a day during the summer that I’ve wanted to run outside, but the air quality is too poor? Are the sports available to kids in my area economically accessible? Questions of this nature can be seen as calls to action to further the work being done in the field of sustainability in sport.

In the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, sport is described as:

“an important enabler of sustainable development. We recognize the growing contribution of sport to the realization of development and peace in its promotion of tolerance and respect and the contributions it makes to the empowerment of women and of young people, individuals and communities as well as to health, education and social inclusion objectives” (2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development)

Learning how to apply a sustainability lens to the sports we love, can open doors to taking action at a global scale and build momentum for sport as a key component of a sustainable future in our communities.

Meet the Speakers

Meet the industry experts that shared their experience in the world of sustainability and sport.

Host

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/dan-w-85374916a

Twitter: @OttawaRiverlife

https://sirc.ca/blog/sportforclimateaction/

Dan Wilcock

Dan Wilcock is the President & CEO of the Canada Games Council. As the Canada Games move from one host community to the next, the Canada Games Council provides continuity, leadership and support to Host Societies in key areas such as sport technical, organizational planning, ceremonies and protocol, marketing and sponsorship. In addition, the Council ensures effective long-term partnerships with national sport organizations, governments and the corporate sector.

Dan is a lawyer by background, with a Master of Laws in Sustainability and Environmental Law. He joined the Canada Games Council after serving in a number of executive roles in the Government of Canada, in areas including environmental policy, international relations, marketing law and competition law.

Dan has experience in high-level sport as a competitor, coach and organizer in snowboarding, which he helped develop in Australia and the US, and has participated in almost every sport on the Canada Games program. Dan lives with his family near the banks of the Ottawa River and loves to be outside and active with his wife and two children as often as possible.

Opening Speakers

Twitter: @vankayak

Facebook: @AdamvanKoeverden

Instagram: avankoeverden

https://www.adamvankoeverdenmp.ca/

Adam van Koeverden

Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Diversity and Inclusion and Youth and to the Minister of Canadian Heritage (Sport), Member of Parliament for Milton

Adam van Koeverden was first elected as the Member of Parliament for Milton in 2019.

Mr. van Koeverden is a dedicated community leader and one of Canada’s most accomplished athletes. He has represented Canada at four Summer Olympic Games, winning a gold, two silvers, and a bronze medal. He served as Canada’s flag bearer in Athens and Beijing, and won the Lou Marsh Award as Canada’s top athlete in 2004.

A first generation Canadian, Mr. van Koeverden grew up at Chautauqua Co-op in Oakville with his younger brother and mother. He joined the Burloak Canoe Club as a teenager and rapidly became one of Canada's premier athletes. In addition to being a world, Olympic, and Canadian Champion, he has volunteered extensively for organizations like Right To Play, WaterAid, Special Olympics Canada, and the David Suzuki Foundation. Along with his father, Mr. van Koeverden is also a strong advocate for Parkinson’s Canada.

Before entering politics, Mr. van Koeverden worked as a managing consultant with Deloitte, and as a broadcaster, writer, and producer with CBC Sports. He also served as Chair of the Canadian Olympic Athletes’ Commission and was a member of the Government of Canada Working Group on Gender Equity in Sport, promoting safe sport and addressing gender-based violence. He is a leading public speaker who has spoken to tens of thousands of students at schools in the Halton region and across Canada.

Mr. van Koeverden graduated as valedictorian with an Honours Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology from McMaster University. He lives in Milton with his dog, Cairo.

Mr. van Koeverden will also be joining Panel 1 to lend his views on climate change and sport in Canada.

Kevin Sandy

Kevin Vincent Sandy is a Dad/Uncle belongs to the Lower Cayuga Nation, Wolf Clan and resides on Six Nations of the Grand River Territory. His two amazing children are Aamisk and Menaywaywyn who belong to the beautiful Mushkegowuk and Haudenosaunee way of life like their parents.

Mr. Sandy is the Director/CEO of the Iroquois Lacrosse Program, Kevin V. Sandy Business Consulting Group and a co-founder of the Indigenous Lacrosse Association. Kevin believes in the passion and spirit of culture and sport, it’s strong connection to community and what they both can do to inspire and empower and individual to do their best.

Panel 1 – Climate Change and Sport in Canada

https://www.linkedin.com/in/crystalvella/

Crystal Vella

Born and raised in the Niagara, Crystal is a leading local voice in sustainability. A proud alumnus of Niagara College, Brock University and Western University, her studies concentrated on environmental management and corporate social responsibility. As the Sustainability Chair of the Niagara 2022 Canada Summer Games, her aim to reduce the overall impact of the Games is focused on three main areas:

1. Energy to power Games facilities

2. Greenhouse gas emissions from Games facilities and athlete and spectator transportation

3. Waste management including the diversion of recyclables and organics

Crystal is a Business Performance Analyst with Walker Industries working in its Environmental Division. In her day to day, she supports research and analysis to identify and expand resource recovery opportunities. At the corporate level, she helped developed the company’s climate change adaptation program and provides critical support to help achieve its goal to be a carbon neutral organization. Education and engagement have been central pillars of Crystal’s professional development. She has taught at Niagara College in the Environmental Management and Assessment post-graduate program and was the Delegate Coordinator for Leading Change Canada’s 2018 Forum in Vancouver, BC.

www.natlbknowles.com

Twitter: @natlbknowles

Instagram: @natalieknowles

www.protectourwinters.ca

Natalie Knowles

Nat Knowles is a climate scientist, wilderness conservationist, and outdoor athlete. Her research focuses on mitigating climate change, managing its inevitable impacts, and using sport, outdoor recreation and related tourism for sustainable socio-economic development. She completed a Master of Science on these topics at the University of Oxford and is now a PhD candidate at the University of Waterloo. While currently an avid backcountry adventurer, as a former alpine ski racer Natalie won two NCAA Div 1 National Championships with the University of Denver, and represented Canada at the World Junior Championships and the World University Games. Natalie's current research is supported by SSHRC Joseph Bombardier CGS and Sport Canada's Sport Participation Research Initiative and she is the Research Coordinator for Protect Our Winters Canada.

Personal Website: https://www.olympic.org/news/protecting-the-environment-as-a-project-for-an-ioc-young-leader

Seyi Smith

Oluseyi (Seyi) Smith is a retired two-time summer (London-2012) and winter (Pyeongchang-2018) Olympian in athletics and bobsleigh. Seyi entered the Canadian sport system at the age of 12 and rose through each tier until his retirement at 31. His career spanned competitions from the club, school, provincial, national and international level between 2003 - 2018. Seyi also volunteers wherever possible in the sport community. As an administrator, he is a past chair of the COC Athletes’ Commission, a past Athletics Canada athlete representative and has held ex officio roles with the Canadian Olympic Committee and the Canadian Sport Institute - Calgary. He also serves as an Athletics Alberta starting official Seyi has a passion for environmental sustainability along with his love for sport. His current role as an IOC Young Leader merges sport with sustainability at the grass root level. He serves as a member of Eco Athletes advocacy group and the IOC Sustainability & Legacy Commission. Outside of sport, Seyi is a professional engineer and works as a Hydro Ottawa Project Manager leading the LRT expansion program in Ottawa. This involves managing the interdisciplinary scope, technical designs, and budget of the utility connections to new LRT stations for the $5 billion project. Seyi was born in Nigeria and was raised and schooled in Senegal, Italy and the United Kingdom as well as Canada. He tries to bring elements of his past travels into his daily life. This ranges from cheering on the A.S. Roma soccer team, enjoying a good quality West African meal or catching up on the latest British TV.

Panel 2 - The Future of Sport and Sustainability

Instagram: @worldsailingofficial @Sustainabilitydan

Dan Reading

As Head of Sustainability, Dan manages the ambitious sustainability programme for the international governing body of the sport – World Sailing which covers 145 national authorities. Prior to this, he spent 9 years at the national governing body, the Royal Yachting Association and British Marine (the leisure marine trade association) on a collaborative environmental programme. Dan was London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Sailing Competition Sustainability Manager and was responsible for the first venue in the world being certified to ISO 20121. Subsequently he has helped numerous organizations across the world of sport become certified ranging from motor sport to horse racing venues. Dan works on sports delivery of the SDGs with several UN agencies including IMO, UNFCCC and UN Environment. He is a Chartered Environmentalist and full member of the Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment a Certified Marina Professional and the winner of the 2020 Sustainability Award from the Global Association of International Sport Federations.

https://brocku.ca/applied-health-sciences/kinesiology/rob-millington-phd/

Rob Millington

Rob Millington is an Assistant Professor with the Department of Kinesiology at Brock University. His main bodies of research are concerned with how sport is positioned as an agent of social change and social justice in an international development context, and how sport is understood to contribute to sustainable development. His most recent projects explore the history of sport for development and peace (SDP) within the United Nations, and the role of sport in contributing to environmental sustainability in both domestic and international contexts. Rob is also an affiliate with Centre for Sport Capacity and the Social Justice Research Institute at Brock University, and the Canada Games Council Sustainability Advisory Group.

Geneviève Marchand

Geneviève Marchand has been the Senior Manager - Event Operations for Tennis Canada since 2019 and looks after year-round operations for the IGA Stadium Facility as well as event operations for the Montreal National Bank Open. She is a co-chair of Tennis Canada’s Sustainability Committee and is responsible for the sustainability budget and operations. She has been working in the events field (trade shows services, congress centre, museum) for 15 years. Her favorite tennis player is Felix Auger-Aliassime.

The event will culminate with remarks from Dr. Barry Wright, CEO at Niagara 2022 Canada Summer Games, and Sean Kennedy, President of Niagara College