NAME
Dr. Allen Hershkowitz
TITLE
Environmental Science and Sustainability Adviser, New York Yankees, NBA, Los Angeles Clippers, Pittsburgh Pirates, MLS
LOCATION
New York, United States
ABOUT
Dr. Allen Hershkowitz’s career spans decades of work at the intersection of science, culture, and environmental policy. Known for blending technical expertise with high-profile influence, he has helped some of the most iconic organizations in sports and entertainment adopt sustainability as a core value. His role with the Yankees is just one chapter in a career that includes groundbreaking initiatives at the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), where he led visible programmes related to forestry, paper industry impacts, and waste management. His work has reshaped sustainability across the National Basketball Association (NBA), National Hockey League (NHL), Major League Baseball (MLB), and Broadway, making him a leader in the movement to leverage sports and culture for environmental advocacy.
IMPACT
CHALLENGES
According to Allen: “Integrating sustainability into established sectors like sports and entertainment presents unique challenges. In a setting like Yankee Stadium, much of the impact is behind the scenes, making it less visible to fans. Adapting infrastructure and practices while maintaining the fan experience remains an ongoing task. Single focused studies are a hallmark of western thought. They are predicated on the belief that in order to understand something you need to isolate it from other factors. This approach has substantial limits. By contrast, Eastern studies tend to examine how things interact as part of a larger system. If we’re blind to the greater context when we try to understand something, then we can never truly appreciate why things behave as they do.”
GOALS
“Our most important goal is to instigate a cultural shift in attitudes and expectations about how we relate to the planet.”
ALLEN’S ADVICE
“Learn ideas of enduring importance, combined with kindness and graciousness. There’s nothing more important than helping to alleviate human suffering. Every decision to use materials or energy must be carefully considered. There are multiple ways of knowing and scientists would benefit by engaging more of them. Knowledge and values should be coupled. We have been failing to act effectively because we don’t incorporate values and scientific knowledge together. Urgency isn’t optional when dealing with climate change.”
CONTACT
https://www.linkedin.com/in/allen-hershkowitz-ph-d-34094558/
@drhershkowitz
Main image: apardavila/Flickr
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