We Play Green is excited to welcome professional footballer Diane Caldwell as the newest member of the We Play Green Team! As a player for the Republic of Ireland national team and Reading FC in the English WSL, Diane is not only known for her skills on the pitch, but also for her commitment to making an impact off of it.
As a professional footballer, Diane believes that she has a responsibility to raise awareness of the planetary crisis and promote sustainable practices.
“I believe we have the power to use our platforms to raise awareness of the climate crisis. Most people know about the challenges the world is facing but few know the true extent of the problems and their extended effect on human welfare and all other life on earth. We need to bridge this gap and increase the level of awareness, which in turn will hopefully increase action today to make a better tomorrow”.
Diane’s sustainability journey began with her fiancé, Mona Lohmann, and her family, who live an environmentally conscious lifestyle. They helped her realize that everyone should do their part and that you aren’t too small to make a difference.
Shortly after joining Reading FC, the defender acted on her commitment to sustainability when she spoke to the general manager about introducing reusable plates and cups at the club canteen.
“I hadn’t been at Reading FC long when I noticed the use of single-use plates and cups in the club canteen. I mentioned it to Mona and she ended up surprising me by sending me my own personalized Reading mug! So I brought this mug into Bearwood Training Ground and kept it in the canteen to use every day. It was the butt of a few jokes of course, as I stood out as the only one with my own official mug!
As the days went on, there I was using my mug, while the other 50 or so people in the canteen all used their single-use mugs. It didn’t sit well with me. We have a fully operational kitchen with a full-time staff. I couldn’t understand why we couldn’t have reusable plates, mugs, and cutlery. This isn’t Covid times anymore. So I decided to speak with our general manager and raised the question while suggesting some solutions. She agreed to bring it up at their next staff meeting and not long after, reusable cups and plates were introduced.
This is only a small, small example but I decided to try to act as a team rather than as an individual. Sure, my tiny action of bringing in my own mug was something, but as a team, as a full canteen, as an entire club, the impact was well and truly greater”.
Click here to see this in Reading FC’s Tik Tok.
Diane’s addition to the team is a perfect fit, as she shares the same values and is eager to use her platform to make a difference. Diane’s club, Reading FC, is also known for its collaboration with the University of Reading for their global warming “Show your Stripes Campaign “which encourages fans and players to take action to combat climate change and promote sustainable living“.
“I’m excited to see what we can achieve together. My reason for joining We Play Green was to act as a team rather than an individual. Don’t get me wrong, every individual action counts but in the grand scheme of things, we can have much more of a meaningful impact on the planetary crises when we work together, just like on the football field.”
We’re also eager to see what we can do together, welcome to the team, Diane!
