GreenLaces’ Blog

350 Day of Action THIS SATURDAY

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 11:14:42 -0500

This Saturday, October 24th, the world will be working together to make a statement - a statement about 350. 350 what you might ask?
Well, from 350.org’s website,
“350 is the most important number in the world—it's what scientists say is the safe upper limit for carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
Two years ago, after leading climatologists observed rapid ice melt in the Arctic and other frightening signs of climate change, they issued a series of studies showing that the planet faced both human and natural disaster if atmospheric concentrations of CO2 remained above 350 parts per million.
Everyone from Al Gore to the U.N.’s top climate scientist has now embraced this goal as necessary for stabilizing the planet and preventing complete disaster. Now the trick is 350 Rider and GreenLaces’ Athlete, Amelia Spilgergetting our leaders to pay attention and craft policies that will put the world on track to get to 350.”

The GreenLaces community is taking part. Supporters Alex and Amelia Spilger will be rocking their GreenLaces as they join other cyclists in the Ride350 from Arcata to San Francisco. Taft School’s Sarah Maxwell will be promoting GreenLaces at their school-wide celebration as a part of the 350 actions.
Join a 350 action and stay tuned for more photos.

Celebrating a Greener Future in Sports The Chicago Summit on Sports and Sustainability is a Success and GreenLaces Snags a Keynote Position

Mon, 21 Sep 2009 14:34:26 -0500

The Chicago Summit on Sports and Sustainability, which was held from Sept 10th - 11th, was abuzz with excitement. People were rushing through the registration tables and scoping out their lunch seats to be ready for the opening ceremonies. With almost 300 high profile personalities in attendance, including Nobel Prize winners, former Heads of State, Olympians, Politicians, and celebrated industry leaders, the room was alive with enthusiasm. The crowd of attendees were all anxious to connect with like-minded professionals and learn how to create both a greener future for our children and a “greener” career at the same time.   Perhaps the two most anticipated events were the Thursday night keynote dinner and the Friday morning breakfast that turned out to have Tony Blaire, the former UK Prime Minister, as a surprise guest. The Summit’s agenda consisted of panels covering a wide range of topics related to sports and sustainability. Some discussions of note include “how to green cities and large events”, “what role sponsors play”, and “how renewable energy, emerging technology and water conservation can all play a part”. The “Athletes and Sustainability” panel excited many GreenLaces’ supporters as it boasted world famous athletes Will Steger (Arctic Explorer), Dave Durante (Men’s Gymnastics National. Champion), GreenLaces’ own Brandi Chastain (US W.Soccer Star), and myself as the lucky moderator.
In an exciting turn of events, the panel on “Athletes and Sustainability” under my leadership was asked to replace the much anticipated Keynote Speaker at Thursday night’s dinner at the Adler Planetarium. With an esteemed audience before us, the panel of athletes inspired the Summit attendees speaking true and from their heart. We celebrated those athletes that have the ambition to throw down their video games and channel their star-power into improving their communities and the broader world around them. The participants all spoke passionately about empowering athletes to go beyond advertising their sponsors and start advocating their values. As the panel closed, there was a great reminder to the true star-power that the athletes hold, as business leaders in the audience swooped towards the stage for autographs for their sons and daughters. View of the dinner audience from the panel 
As the Summit came to an end, I was left wishing that our world more closely mirrored the tremendous environmental energy, enthusiasm and business solution innovation that were tabled during the 2-day event.

Natalie Spilger

GreenLaces’ Athletes In Action Introduces Nina Watkins Taking GreenLaces’ to Nationals

Sun, 30 Aug 2009 08:18:07 -0500

We are proud to announce our new feature, “GreenLaces in Action.” Where we highlight people who have gone above and beyond to make the Earth a greener planet.
Nina Watkins loves GreenLaces’ philosophy so much that she has made it her personal mission to spread its message any way she can.
And she is using her status as a highly competitive soccer player and now collegiate athlete at Stanford to do so.
Nina, of San Francisco, first became interested in the environment after taking an environmental science class in high school. She said after learning about issues that affect our planet, she became “hooked” on going green.
So when she first met Natalie Spilger through her high school coach, who also used to coach Natalie, she was excited to learn more about the GreenLaces Natalie was wearing. The two went to lunch together to discuss the goals of the organization and she went online to make her promise to the planet.
Nina wears GreenLaces in her soccer shoes, running shoes, another pair of shoes and on her wrist. For her, wearing the laces in so many different places serves as a reminder each day of her dedication to the planet.
“I get asked about the one on my wrist all the time because it’s the most visible and if someone asks about it I’m more than happy to explain what it means and why it’s important to me,” she said. “I guess (GreenLaces) are wherever I am.”
Nina has gone above and beyond merely wearing GreenLaces. As a high school soccer player, she educated her entire team and inspired them to make a promise to the planet and wear the laces in their cleats.
But she didn’t stop there, as she made a presentation to her entire school about the organization. Nina single handedly raised around $300 dollars for the environment and got about 50 people to make promises. She even wore GreenLaces in her cleats as her club soccer team competed in the USYS Club Nationals.
Nina is so dedicated to spreading the word about GreenLaces because she said she does not always feel simply wearing GreenLaces is enough.
“There are so many people who just wear the GreenLaces but we still need to get the word out and spread the message. If all those people got the word out we could make such an impact globally that no one could believe,” she said. “I guess it’s just a pass\ion of mine.”
She also loves using her platform as an athlete to make a difference, the way so many professional athletes and Olympians do.
“Athletes act as role models for children growing up who want to be like them. These children and teenagers are the ones who are going to be making the biggest changes in the future, so for them to be able to look up to these athletes and see that they are doing something in support of the environment, my generation will be able to learn from them and expand on the changes and improvements that have already been made into something greater.”
Nina will be a freshman on the soccer team at Stanford this fall where she hopes to continue to spread the word of GreenLaces. She plans to take classes on earth sciences and environmental engineering.

Spilger speaks to Dundee-Crown High School Students

Sat, 20 Jun 2009 22:33:22 -0500

Our experience with Natalie Spilger was very educational. She taught us a lot about environmental issues such as recycling. She made it really fun to learn about these topics.

We think it is really cool what GreenLaces is doing. It is making people aware that helping the environment can be as simple as buying an AWESOME pair of green shoelaces. She taught us that it doesn’t take much to help people and the environment.

We played a fun game and she made a slideshow that was very organized. It just made it simpler to understand what she was trying to convey.

We think that she should keep going to talk to schools because it does make a difference, even if all people do is start to buy CFL light bulbs once a month. It still helps, and that’s what we liked about her presentation.

Ashley Antley and Marlenah Schumacher
Grade 10
Dundee-Crown High School
Carpentersville, IL

GreenLaces & Chicago Red Stars half time video

Tue, 12 May 2009 00:24:07 -0500

Just got it from the marketing team!

~ Natalie