The soccer club that helps fans take climate action

Summary

Overview

In this episode of Climate Connections (May 8, 2026), host Dr. Anthony Leiserowitz spotlights the Vermont Green Football Club—a pre-professional soccer team that is leveraging its platform not only for athletic accomplishment but to galvanize climate action among its fans and community. The episode examines how the club integrates environmental stewardship and social action into the culture of the game, inspiring a wider movement beyond the stadium.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Club’s Dual Mission

• Athletic and Environmental Goals
  • The Vermont Green Football Club is noted for its on-field success, including an undefeated season and a league national championship.
  • Off the field, the team is committed to "addressing the climate crisis through the game of soccer.”
    • Quote:

      "We want to be a leader and we want to be an example in addressing the climate crisis through the game of soccer."
      — Patrick Inferna, Club Co-Founder [00:24]

Climate-Friendly Initiatives

• Community Engagement and Incentives
  • Fans who bike to games receive free raffle tickets, incentivizing low-carbon transportation.
  • At halftime, the club features speakers to raise awareness about climate issues and foster community dialogue.
  • Nonprofits are present in the concourse to inform and connect with attendees about climate action opportunities.
  • Staff and volunteers actively sort trash on site into recycling and compost, minimizing landfill waste.

Growing a Climate Action Community

• Grassroots Mobilization
  • The culture fostered by Vermont Green has inspired fans to self-organize and take climate action independent of the club's direct programming.
  • An independent group, formed by passionate supporters, fundraises for climate and social justice efforts, strengthening the impact of the club’s mission.
    • Quote:

      "And I think more than anything, that is success. When I look at our fans organizing together and engaging with our partners and deciding that while they are enjoying the game of soccer, they are going to make it mean something more, that is the coolest thing that we've experienced since founding this club."
      — Patrick Inferna [01:05]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On leadership in sports and climate:

  "We want to be a leader and we want to be an example in addressing the climate crisis through the game of soccer."
  — Patrick Inferna [00:24]

• On the transformational power of community:

  “When I look at our fans organizing together and engaging with our partners and deciding that while they are enjoying the game of soccer, they are going to make it mean something more, that is the coolest thing that we've experienced since founding this club.”
  — Patrick Inferna [01:05]

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:01 – Introduction to Vermont Green Football Club’s double mission: soccer success and climate leadership
• 00:24 – Patrick Inferna describes the club’s commitment to climate action
• 00:30 – Specific climate-focused activities at games—raffles for bike travelers, educational programming, and waste diversion
• 01:05 – Noteworthy moment on fan-led climate and social justice fundraising

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Tone & Takeaway

This episode offers an inspiring and actionable example of how sports organizations can forge deeper connections with their communities by making climate action central to the fan experience. The Vermont Green Football Club's approach demonstrates that meaningful change can begin locally and collectively, with sports serving as a powerful vehicle for hope and mobilization.

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For more stories and information, listeners are directed to climateconnections.org.

Transcript

[A]

I'm Dr. Anthony Liesiewicz and this is Climate Connections. Next week, the Vermont Green Football Club kicks off its season. This pre professional soccer team hopes to repeat last year's success when they went undefeated and won their league's national championship. But winning on the field is not the Vermont Greens only goal.

[B]

We want to be a leader and we want to be an example in addressing the climate crisis through the game of soccer.

[A]

Club co founder Patrick Inferna says the team is taking steps to reduce its climate impact. And it's going beyond that by building a community of fans who are passionate about doing the same. People who bike to games get free raffle tickets. The club invites halftime speakers who talk about climate issues and community. Nonprofits share information in the concourse. Staff and volunteers sort through trash, recycling and compost bins to minimize what's sent to the landfill. And Inferna says some fans are so committed that they formed an independent group that fundraises for climate and social justice efforts.

[B]

And I think more than anything, that is success. When I look at our fans organizing together and engaging with our partners and deciding that while they are enjoying the game of soccer, they are going to make it mean something more, that is the coolest thing that we've experienced since founding this club.

[A]

Climate Connections is produced by the Yale center for Environmental Communication. To learn more about climate change, visit climateconnections.org.