{"id":992,"date":"2024-08-20T15:56:57","date_gmt":"2024-08-20T15:56:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thenativecrowd.com\/?p=992"},"modified":"2024-08-20T15:56:57","modified_gmt":"2024-08-20T15:56:57","slug":"an-interview-with-amy-collins-writer-translator-climber","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thenativecrowd.com\/nl\/an-interview-with-amy-collins-writer-translator-climber\/","title":{"rendered":"An interview with Amy Collins; content writer, translator, yogi and climber"},"content":{"rendered":"

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.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Can you tell us a bit about your background and how you’re involved with sports please Amy?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

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\u2019ve been lucky to have worked with some climbing and outdoor sports companies in my work as a translator & copywriter, which are always fun projects!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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How important is sustainability to you, and what led you to become interested in this area?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

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\u2019t think I really had a light-bulb moment in regard to sustainability \u2013 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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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“Large corporations and governments need to be held to account to really make a difference.<\/em>“<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In what ways have you seen the climate emergency affect your the sports you’re passionate about?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The most obvious one is the change in weather and its increasing unpredictability. Weather conditions are important in climbing \u2013 it can\u2019t be raining, can\u2019t be too hot, can\u2019t be too cold, can\u2019t be too windy \u2013 so climbers travel to different destinations at different times of the year to get the best conditions. Now it\u2019s getting harder to know where to go and when, as seasons are less defined and predictable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Amy<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

What steps are you taking personally to reduce your environmental impact?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

I rarely fly, eat meat, or buy from fast fashion brands. I like the concept of \u2018voting with your pound\u2019<\/strong>: choosing to only spend money on companies I know are doing good for the world. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whilst I choose to make these personal decisions, I think it\u2019s important to say that I don\u2019t believe the task of fixing the climate crisis should be solely on the individual. I don\u2019t think it\u2019s fair for a climber (or anyone) to feel that they can\u2019t ever travel long-distance, for example. Large corporations and governments need to be held to account to really make a difference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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“It\u2019s up to us to make positive impact for the parts of climate change that we might be most aware of.<\/em>“<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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Do you believe the sports industry has a unique role to play in addressing climate change?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

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\u2019re spending so much time outdoors, and relying on it to provide us with sporting venues. It\u2019s up to us to make positive impact for the parts of climate change that we might be most aware of.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Are there any athletes or sports organisations you admire for their commitment to sustainability?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Of course, Patagonia has to be mentioned. I really like their commitment to a transparent supply chain and their holistic view on sustainability: there\u2019s no point using organic cotton if it was harvested using child labour, for example. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s 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\u2019ve 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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How can sports events be made more sustainable without compromising on the excitement and engagement they offer fans?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Big question! Some things that spring to mind:<\/p>\n\n\n\n