USGA on joining the United Nations Sports for Climate Action Initiative

The USGA joined more than 100 sports organizations to advocate for greater environmental responsibility. (Photo: USGA)

The United States Golf Association (USGA) joined 100-plus organizations in becoming a signatory of the United Nations Sports for Climate Action Initiative.

“We knew that golf is so closely tied to the environment. There’s no game of golf if there isn’t a healthy, thriving environment,” said Dave Aznavorian, USGA senior director of transformational initiatives. “We thought it was important to be among the leaders in the sports industry on the forefront of change. We thought our participation would serve two goals: We would learn best practices from other signatories and share what we’ve learned and have developed over the course of 100 years under the USGA Greens Section.”

Sports for Climate Action was created in 2018 as a platform for sports organizations to support climate action in a highly collaborative forum. Signatories of the initiative commit to five key principles: undertaking systematic efforts to promote greater environmental responsibility; reducing overall climate impact; educating for climate action; promoting sustainable and responsible consumption; and advocating for climate action through communication.

Other signatories include the International Olympic Committee, the NBA, the U.S. Tennis Association, the New York Yankees, the International Golf Federation and more.

“The USGA being a signatory means we’re holding ourselves to a high standard and looking to lead by example,” Aznavorian said. “It’s a tremendous source of pride for USGA staff and also important to future staff members to know that the USGA cares about environmental concerns to such a degree that we’ve become a signatory. It underscores the premise of us being a purpose-driven organization.”