We\u2019re tying together 350 elite athletes from around the world. Simply put, we\u2019re playing the numbers. We\u2019re lining up 350 elite futball players, skiers, hockey stars, cyclists, swimmers, and so on to use their visibility, their notoriety and their influence to push 350. These folks have considerable sway in their respective international athletic circles and from there it is a short note, or email or mobile text to get the word out about 350.<\/p>\n
The culture of athletics is influence and imitation. Move from that single elite athlete to the local pickup game of ten in the alley or the park, and it is a short time before you get a hold on the regional tennis club and basketball booster. From there it can grow globally.<\/p>\n
We want to reach the 20 thousand runners that line up for the Boston marathon and the 40,000 skiers that partake annually in Sweden\u2019s Vasoloppet ski marathon. We want to catch the 500,000 viewers that downloaded the video of Rugby\u2019s most famous team, New Zealand\u2019s All Blacks, as they performed their pre-match traditional Haka, as well as the 97 Million people watched last year\u2019s Super Bowl. We want to cycle through the 200 million people worldwide that watched this year\u2019s Tour De France. We want the estimated 1.2 Billion people that tuned into the last World Cup soccer tournament to be attuned to 350. <\/p>\n
We don\u2019t have the whole collection of athletic heroes put together. That will take a few more months. But we\u2019ve started and the word is already spreading. American Mountain Biker Adam Craig is on his way to the Olympics in Beijing after winning his national championships wearing the signature (compact) fluorescent green 350 band. Canadian Hockey player, Andrew Ference has helped push carbon consciousness through the NHL signing up his teammates and competitors for offsets to cover their professional travel. Gold Medalist Sara Renner didn\u2019t travel to New Zealand this summer for summer snow. The Canadian skier pointed to carbon guilt as a factor in her decision. <\/p>\n