The outdoors has always been an important part of Fiona ‘Fi’ Burnet’s life, but it wasn’t until the Scotland national team field hockey player and the newest EcoAthletes Champion started studying at university that climate change and its impacts really clicked.

“I grew up in Shandon, a tiny hamlet on the west coast of Scotland and so always loved nature,” Burnet shared. “But it was the modules on sustainability and the impacts of climate change at the University of Bath that really rekindled my interest. And then in my third year, when I took my placement (aka internship) abroad with the Blake Trust in Auckland, New Zealand, my passion went to another level entirely.”

The Blake Trust is small NGO that was created to inspire a passion for environmental leadership among youth in the two-island nation. It was established in the memory of Sir Peter Blake, a legendary America’s Cup-winning sailor for New Zealand and environmentalist.

He also was Burnet’s uncle.

“Following the end of his competitive sailing career, Peter set off on an around-the-world mission to document unique and fragile environments that needed to be taken care of,” offered Burnet. “He traveled to Antarctica and then up to the Amazon where, tragically, he was killed by pirates in 2001. The foundation was set up in 2004. When I went down there, I met and worked alongside a wide range of people, who were further along in their environmental and climate thinking than I was. They inspired me and I became more committed to the climate fight.”

Upon her return to Great Britain, the politics and international relations major earned another placement, this one to the Scottish Parliament where she wrote speeches, conducted research, and gained valuable understanding about the world of policy making. After graduation in 2018, she moved to London for a job with the British Group Inter-Parliamentary Union or BGIPU. It promotes dialogue and improves diplomatic relations between legislative bodies around the world.

All this while, Burnet has somehow found the time to push her field hockey game to as high a level as possible. She made her senior national team debut for Scotland when she was 18 versus a highly ranked Germany squad.

“I was a bit wary of those three test matches, to be honest, but it was an amazing opportunity,” the attacking forward recalled. “I’ve been in the senior squad ever since. My immediate goal is to play for Scotland at next year’s Commonwealth Games in Birmingham and then I hope to have a chance to try out for the Great Britain team for the Paris 2024 Olympics.”

Before those mega-events take place, Burnet found herself taking part in another one — COP26 in her home nation of Scotland. Climate change, which already had been an important issue for BGIPU and Burnet, reached another level entirely during the global climate conference.

“I led a meeting and speaker briefings during COP, and the big plenary sessions were eye opening for me,” she said. “And while we celebrated the small victories, overall, I was frustrated with the results at COP in the end as the smaller, poorer countries with little power will continue to be devastated by climate. Sea level rise will mean that the Pacific Island nation of Tuvalu will largely be underwater by the end of this century, and upwards of 40 million people will be displaced in Bangladesh. We need much more ambition.”

It was at COP that Burnet first learned about the intersection of Green & Sports, and that led her to EcoAthletes.

“I had very limited knowledge of the Green-Sports world before I went to the Sport@COP event,” marveled Burnet. “Once I heard about EcoAthletes, I became excited that there is a place for me to connect with climate-minded athletes and to collaborate on ways to inspire our supporters to take climate action. I can’t wait to get started!”

EcoAthletes CEO Lew Blaustein agrees.

“Fi’s work on climate policy with BGIPU and parliaments around the world brings an important perspective to the Champions roster,” said the EcoAthletes founder. “She’s a natural communicator and will be a great advocate for the #ClimateComeback!”

You can follow Fiona Burnet on Instagram and Twitter.