Portland, Ore.-based Green Sports Alliance has appointed Stephen Ashkin to its board of directors. 

Ashkin is the executive director of the Green Cleaning Network, president of The Ashkin Group, and chief executive officer of Sustainability Dashboard Tools LLC, according to the media release. 

The Green Sports Alliance is a not-for-profit organization with a mission to help sports teams, venues, and leagues enhance their environmental performance. 

Currently, the alliance includes more than 170 sports teams, such as the New York Jets, the Baltimore Orioles, and the Milwaukee Brewers, as well as sporting arenas and facilities serving 15 different sports leagues. 

“The Green Sports Alliance is a unique organization,” says Ashkin. “They have brought together a number of key people and organizations along with environmentalists to exchange information and help address the Green and sustainable challenge faced by the entire sporting community.”

The information gathered from this collaboration is available to Alliance members so they can gain a better understanding of how sporting events can be conducted in a more environmentally sensitive manner.

Ashkin believes the organization will likely become a powerful promoter of environmental awareness in coming years.

“When scientists discuss concerns about the environment, often their thoughts reach just a few people,” says Ashkin. “But when major sports figures or organizations in the Alliance discuss the same issues, they can reach a far larger audience and have considerably more impact. That is why I am proud to be on the board of this organization.”