Sadey Rodriguez, U of Virginia Track Star, Brings Passion for Climate Justice to EcoAthletes Champions
Sadey Rodriguez in action for the University of Virginia (Photo credit: Jim Daves, UVA Assistant Athletics Director for Athletic Communications)
University of Virginia discus thrower Sadey Rodriguez, the newest addition to the EcoAthletes Champion roster, has faced environmental and climate-related challenges throughout her athletic career. “We track and field athletes have an intimate relationship with the environment,” she noted. “Extreme weather events, exacerbated by climate change, have impacted some of my meets, from extreme heat to torrential rain.”
Her interest in the environment and climate change goes back to her childhood in Laredo, Texas near the Rio Grande River, and the Mexican border.
“I loved being outdoors since as far back as I could remember, wanted to save the polar bears, and loved science in high school,” recalled Rodriguez. “The more I learned, the more concerned I became about our pollution and carbon emissions problems. We saw the effects in our area. My mom grew up in nearby Rio Bravo; she sourced water from the Rio Grande so she could bathe and cook, but that’s not possible now due to pollution.”
Sadey Rodriguez (Photo credit: Matt Riley, UVA Director for Photography)
Her interest in the environment and climate change morphed into activism when Rodriguez moved on to the University of Virginia.
“UVA soccer player Zoe Morse [also an EcoAthletes Champion, now a member of the NWSL’s Chicago Red Stars] and I launched Green Athletics,” the Class of ’22 Environmental Science major said. “Our goal is to involve UVA student-athletes in making the environment a key consideration at the Athletics Department, from facilities to engaging fans.”
Rodriguez’ climate leadership has gone beyond the Charlottesville campus to the league level. She is UVA’s representative to the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Sports-Sustainability group, served on the 2020 ACC Virtual Sports-Sustainability Conference content committee and moderated a student-athlete panel discussion. After that event, Rodriguez connected with other student-athletes to found ACC Sustainable Student-Athletes. “Athletes from 12 of the 15 ACC schools are involved in Sustainable-Student-Athletes,” said Rodriguez. “In 2020, we hosted a speaker series remotely to increase sustainability education and resources across ACC athletic departments. Topics included green careers, sustainability policy, and climate justice.”
On that last topic, seeing that the impacts of climate change fall heaviest on those who are least able to adapt, including those in the communities where she grew up, has provided Rodriguez with a passion and a purpose.
“I found ‘my why’ — climate justice,” she asserted. “Recycling and waste reduction are the easy stuff on climate. Going deeper to understand how marginalized and ignored communities are impacted by climate — and how we can change that — is what I care about.”
Becoming an EcoAthletes Champion was a logical next step for Rodriguez, who plans to continue her discus career in graduate school, where she will most likely study environmental policy and/or sustainable business.
“EcoAthletes will help me expand my network among like-minded athletes from different sports, from all over the world,” offered Rodriguez. “I also look forward to collaborating with my fellow Champions, accelerating my impact on climate justice.”
Rodriguez is the second NCAA student-athlete — and ACC sports-sustainability representative — to become an EcoAthletes Champion, joining Syracuse University volleyballer Elena Karakasi on the “Green Team”. This is an important development, according to Lew Blaustein, the organization’s founder, and CEO.
“Sadey is among the vanguard of young athletes who are passionate about climate action, and we are thrilled to have her as an EcoAthletes Champion,” Blaustein enthused. “She is bringing other UVa and ACC student-athletes to the ‘Green-Sports’ movement which will accelerate the #ClimateComeback.”