CU Boulder Hosts K-12 Students to Connect Climate and Sports
On Dec. 13, the CU Environmental Center hosted a Climate & Sports Student Summit on the CU Boulder campus. Climate & Sports Student Summits (CSSS) is a national nonprofit whose mission is to “create spaces where youth can be inspired by professional athletes, the sports culture and each other to become sustainable change agents in their communities.”
Over 80 local elementary, middle and high school students from Boulder Valley School District and St. Vrain School District experienced an action-packed day of education and inspiration at the CU Recreation Center, a LEED Platinum-certified building and one of CU’s greenest facilities.
Boulder-based professional climber, adventure athlete and National Geographic explorer Matt Segal shared stories of his climate and science adventures with students. Youth climate organizers such as Ruby Rorty, a high school student and founder of the Santa Cruz Environmental Alliance, shared their paths to climate action with their peers. “It’s so magical to see the energy and excitement the students take from seeing the amazing things that young people like themselves have been able to accomplish. The athletes get so much out of seeing the students’ enthusiasm, and the students are so inspired to see that their role models care so much about climate change,” said Linda Gancitano, summit organizer and former USA women’s soccer team member. As part of the Green Sports Alliance Summit last summer, CSSS created similar summits for K-12 students in Miami, Florida, with the Miami Heat and in Sacramento, California, with the Sacramento Kings.