Harnessing star power to support sustainability

By Michael R. Malone [email protected] 04-22-2026

As part of a series of events and activities commemorating Earth Month at the University of Miami, alumna Jennifer Roche on Tuesday moderated "Resilience and Sustainability in Soccer," a virtual workshop that highlighted how global events such as the World Cup can serve as "mega moments" to raise awareness and engage youth, fans, and communities on environmental concerns.

"As a host committee, we're a mega facilitator, and so we want to connect as many dots and allow people to see that the resources are available," said Roche, director of community and legacy with the FIFA World Cup 2026 Miami Host Committee.

"As the host committee, our objective is to leverage this mega-moment-to educate and elevate as many organizations as we can here locally in South Florida that will continue to do the work day in and day out once we're gone," added Roche, who completed her Master of Science in education at the University in 2016.

Kash Siddiqi, who co-founded "Football (Soccer) for Peace" in 2013 with Chilean FIFA legend Elias Figueroa, highlighted how his organization's initiative, "Rehydrate the Earth," is raising awareness for the vital importance of water and how water and food security contribute to a peaceful world.

"Sports is the common language around the world. Soccer alone touches 6 billion people, and events such as the Super Bowl reach 260 million viewers," said Siddiqi, who played professional soccer in Europe, North America, and the Middle East. "We're harnessing that power to generate a conversation and raise awareness for future generations to see how vital water is to the sport of football.

"By making children water stewards in their own communities and environments, they will become peacemakers, because without food and water security there can never be peace," he added.

Jenna DiPaolo, a communications strategist with Ocean Conservancy, highlighted her organization's "Protect Where We Play" initiative to inspire new ocean advocates.

"Sports and entertainment don't just reflect our culture, it creates it, and that gives us extraordinary power to really shape what comes next in these industries," said DiPaolo.

"Fans are hungry for hope and to be part of the solution-it's the same joy and community that draws them to sports," DiPaolo added. "From the athletes that they love and follow, we want to encourage folks to get involved-and to take action."

Roche, also a graduate of the Miller School of Medicine's Emerging Transformational Leadership Program, emphasized that building partnerships and community work is a "slow burn," a long process.

"There are generally not immediate results. So, it's about putting the correct building blocks in place, making the right connections, and letting everyone know what is available to them and what resources they can rely on to continue to do the work," Roche said.

Miami will host seven matches in the upcoming World Cup that kicks off locally on June 15.