Our Values
We are guided by four principles:
Solidarity: union or fellowship arising from common responsibilities and interests.
Climate change affects us all, and in pursuing solutions we must bring as many people together as possible. We see sport as a piece of that puzzle: unifying people across race, age, gender, sex, religion and disability. Champions for Earth has no political affiliation, because we recognise that in addressing this crisis we need to bring everyone to the table.
Whilst Champions for Earth seeks to empower the voice of elite athletes to inspire change, we also believe that every member of the human race is on a journey of understanding and action. If you believe in what we’re doing, please join us, either as a Champion or Supporter.
Bravery: having or showing mental or moral strength to face danger, fear, or difficulty.
When something scares us as humans, a normal response (especially if we think we can’t fight it, or run away) is simply to freeze. The destruction of our planet and “home” provokes fear and, when confronted by evidence of the threat it poses, many of us have ended up frozen. We need to and can channel the bravery of the athletes who push beyond perceived limits, rising up to a challenge that may seem insurmountable.
“Impossible is just a big word thrown around by small men who find it easier to live in the world they’ve been given than to explore the power they have to change it. Impossible is not a fact. It’s an opinion. Impossible is not a declaration. It’s a dare. Impossible is potential. Impossible is temporary. Impossible is nothing.” – Muhammad Ali
Integrity: being honest; showing consistent adherence to strong moral and ethical principles.
Collaboration will be key in achieving solutions to the climate crisis, but weak compromise will not allow us to adopt the scale of change that is necessary. Alongside our pursuit of collaboration, we therefore seek to retain total honesty about the climate and ecological catastrophe we are facing and not lose sight of the enormous changes that have to be adopted.
Teams are built on trust, and Champions for Earth wants to uphold the highest standards of fairness and openness. We will therefore always seek to retain clarity in what we say and why, and to use all possible resources to develop our approach.
Commitment: being resolute in the pursuit of the best steps to achieve our goals.
Given the scale of climate change and the fear it invokes, it is easy to become disillusioned and to get lost in disagreement about how to address it. Just as in any successful team, Champions for Earth seeks to turn our gaze repeatedly to what we are striving to achieve, and what the next steps are to make that happen. If what we’re doing or planning to do isn’t going to aid that goal, we need to change our approach.
Our objective is for humanity to avert climate catastrophe.
We each take responsibility for directing our energy towards that goal, for trusting that our teammates are doing likewise, and for reminding each other when we lose sight of that.
“I am lucky that whatever fear I have inside me, my desire to win is always stronger.” – Serena Williams