broadcast received a three-star certification from the industry’s sustainability watchdog, Albert, with the crew dressed in organic and pre-owned clothing, including vegan shoes. Later in the year, there was Sky Sports News Summer of Sustainability, which was launched with a Climate Action Takeover Day. The coverage featured a story of an athlete or club every hour. “I created that and – quite literally – drove it. I did five of those stories at three-hour intervals,
driving between them in an electric vehicle. It was a lot of fun and I think it had that impact, with a range of sports and angles.” GETTING OUT THE MESSAGE Athletes are in an all-important position when it comes to having an influence on the culture. Encouraging them to participate in the transformations that our current scientific understanding requires, makes it possible to change public perception, and the willingness to take action.
“Sport has this power: first of all because there are so many people who engage with it. Football alone is followed by 3.5 billion people. But it’s also the nature of the relationship with its audience – fans idolise these athletes. The sports, the clubs and the individuals have huge power. Anything they stand for, they’re likely to bring fans with them.” Garrido notes that he’s had to beat the bushes a little to find good spokespeople, but he anticipates growing involvement. “You have to do a bit of searching around. It’s not like you’ve got loads of athletes and clubs putting their hands up and saying, ‘We’ve got a story to tell you’, but there are a few. And I find that one interview then leads you to another.” As a communicator, Garrido sees his mission as one of relaying the facts, in a way that people can understand and make use of them. “You have got to find easy ways of explaining – not to oversimplify the whole argument, but to make it palatable and engaging. Although, one thing I have noticed during the pandemic is that people have had to engage with science more, to understand viruses and vaccines, and science’s stock value is high because the vaccine has been a way out of this. People are ready
Engaging us all : Sky has produced a range of shows based on climate
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