CASE STUDY
How Players for the Planet Sustainably Brought Sports Gear to Communities Across the Nation
Organizations can have a positive social impact in an environmentally conscious way
is working to support the industry as a whole in “becoming a leading example of ecologically conscious, environmentally responsible, and sustainable practices worldwide.”
With an estimated 500 million global baseball fans alone, transitioning the sports industry towards furthered sustainability will be highly impactful, to say the least.
Founded by Major League Baseball outfielder Chris Dickerson, Players for the Planet (PFTP) is a 501c3 dedicated to bringing professional athletes together in order to address one of the greatest issues of our time: climate change.
From diverting over 1,000,000 pounds of E-Waste from landfills to directly combating the plastic crisis in the Dominican Republic, PFTP’s impact has been far-reaching. Yet at its very core, PFTP strives to go beyond the direct impacts of its various programs; as a key player within the impact side of the professional sports industry, PFTP
Pull-Up Neighbor Tour and Gear for Good Program
In a collaborative effort to address both social justice and equity, as well as environmental justice, PFTP teamed up with the Players Alliance, a charitable organization committed to creating an inclusive culture within baseball and the community by providing greater opportunities and resources for Black communities across the United States.
To date, the Players Alliance has donated over $41 million to Black communities through a range of programs, including the Pull-Up Neighbor Tour and the Gear for Good Program. Through the Pull-Up Neighbor Tour, the Players Alliance visited 25 cities across the United States, bringing together 150 MLB players to donate over $1 million worth of baseball gear to Black youth/teens and teams, as well fresh produce, and a variety of COVID resources, such as masks and cleaning supplies.
The Gear for Good Program furthers access to baseball equipment within Black communities by bringing together teams, fans, and corporate partners to collect and clean gently used baseball equipment for delivery across the United States.
Reaching tens of thousands of individuals, the social impact of these programs has been profound, and in an effort to extend this impact to additionally become environmental in nature, PFTP brought RyeStrategy on to calculate the carbon footprint associated with all logistical ground transport for both programs. Working with distances driven, fuel-types and consumption, as well as a variety of EPA factors, the team calculated a total footprint of approximately 21 metric tons of CO2-equivalent emissions. PFTP and the Players Alliance are now exploring the direct offset of these emissions
RyeStrategy Gets Involved to Calculate Carbon Footprint
through local tree planting projects, creating environmental and social impact by simultaneously counteracting their transportation footprint, while also bringing Black communities together and providing greater tree cover in areas which have historically been severely underserved. Players for the Planet and the Players Alliance are driving environmental and social impact in an industry followed by billions -- we’re honored to have played a small part in their missions.
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