The Native Crowd

Amy is a content writer and translator (working from French and Spanish into English) who specialises on long-form content for outdoor businesses with sustainability at their core – a match made in heaven for this blog, wouldn’t you agree? She’s also an avid sport climber, boulderer, hiker and long-term yogi who lives and works from her van while travelling, so let’s find out what her experiences are of the climate crisis.

Can you tell us a bit about your background and how you’re involved with sports please Amy?

My sporting background actually begins with dance, and later yoga. These days, I am mostly split between yoga and climbing (sport climbing & bouldering), as well as hiking whenever I have the opportunity to. I started climbing about two and a half years ago, and quickly made it into a bit of a lifestyle, opting to live in a van to travel, work on the road, and climb. I’ve been lucky to have worked with some climbing and outdoor sports companies in my work as a translator & copywriter, which are always fun projects!

How important is sustainability to you, and what led you to become interested in this area?

Sustainability is very important to me; our planet is the foundation of everything, so ignoring its destruction seems like a pretty bad idea to me! I don’t think I really had a light-bulb moment in regard to sustainability – like much of my generation, I grew up with news about climate change, and have always been interested in how to make positive lifestyle changes to benefit both myself and others. 

In what ways have you seen the climate emergency affect your the sports you’re passionate about?

The most obvious one is the change in weather and its increasing unpredictability. Weather conditions are important in climbing – it can’t be raining, can’t be too hot, can’t be too cold, can’t be too windy – so climbers travel to different destinations at different times of the year to get the best conditions. Now it’s getting harder to know where to go and when, as seasons are less defined and predictable.

What steps are you taking personally to reduce your environmental impact?

I rarely fly, eat meat, or buy from fast fashion brands. I like the concept of ‘voting with your pound’: choosing to only spend money on companies I know are doing good for the world.

With regard to climbing specifically, I look after my gear, only buy things that are truly necessarily, and would try to make a longer trip out of one that involved flying.

Whilst I choose to make these personal decisions, I think it’s important to say that I don’t believe the task of fixing the climate crisis should be solely on the individual. I don’t think it’s fair for a climber (or anyone) to feel that they can’t ever travel long-distance, for example. Large corporations and governments need to be held to account to really make a difference.

Do you believe the sports industry has a unique role to play in addressing climate change?

I think every industry has a unique role to play because of their unique perspectives. With the outdoor sports industry in particular, there will be challenges and consequences of climate change that only we see as we’re spending so much time outdoors, and relying on it to provide us with sporting venues. It’s up to us to make positive impact for the parts of climate change that we might be most aware of.

Are there any athletes or sports organisations you admire for their commitment to sustainability?

Of course, Patagonia has to be mentioned. I really like their commitment to a transparent supply chain and their holistic view on sustainability: there’s no point using organic cotton if it was harvested using child labour, for example.

There’s been a general push to less consumption and reusing and repairing gear in recent years across the industry which is really cool to see. I’ve also seen some companies pushing for climbing holds that are made using more sustainable materials and less plastic, which I think is an important thing to think about as indoor climbing continues to increase in popularity.

How can sports events be made more sustainable without compromising on the excitement and engagement they offer fans?

Big question! Some things that spring to mind:

• Not using the same area for an event year-on-year, or even running it every year. Spacing out big events like the UTMB would let nature recover and potentially build even more excitement
• Organising community live-streams around the world for fans to be involved without everyone travelling and overwhelming one area
• Policing the use of single-use plastic at events

I don’t think any of that would reduce the amount of fun/excitement of an event!

Do you feel you need more help making sustainable choices?

Not on a personal level, but I’d like to see bigger associations or companies in the sports industry introducing policies that make sustainability the bottom line.

What are the cobenefits you envisage that we could enjoy if we focused more on sustainability?

I think influence and awareness is a big one. Athletes are really admired and their actions often mimicked by fans, so having regular conversations about sustainability and setting up an industry where sustainability was regularly talked about would have a massive trickle-down effect in the general public.

How do you think sports fans and participants can be encouraged to engage with sustainability efforts in their daily lives?

I do think fans could be heavily influenced by their favourite athletes talking about sustainability, discussing what they might be doing or thoughts they’ve had on the subject. Equally, if their favourite sporting event or association regularly highlights moves they’re making to be more sustainable, fans would be influenced to do the same in their own lives.

What future trends do you foresee in the intersection of sports and sustainability?

I’d hope to see it spoken about more than it is already, and from some of the bigger names in the industry. I (unfortunately) imagine that some of the well-known outdoor climbing venues will become too hot to climb at in future years, which will hopefully spur on the industry to play its part in taking action.

I’d also like to see some of the bigger outdoor sports brands move away from fashion trends and lifestyle customers to focus on producing long-lasting, good-quality gear.

Amy, thank you so much for taking so much time to offer such thought-provoking and comprehensive answers! I echo your hopes for the future. Although it’s sad that certain climbs being inaccessible due to changes in the climate will become a reality, I hope that it will act as a catalyst for action!

To follow Amy, head over to her LinkedIn or even her Substack, easy delicious, which will bring you “Thoughts and recipes from a van kitchen”. Love it!

Please note that the views and opinions expressed in this post are solely those of the interviewee. They do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Marjolein Thickett, The Native Crowd or its affiliates. The information provided is for general informational purposes only and should not be considered as professional advice. Readers are encouraged to explore their own views and to read as much as possible on this topic.