Dreams of Gold and Green: U.S. Olympic Athletes Push Environmental Causes

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An eerie metallic sound swells as U.S. Olympic swimmer Tara Kirk poises on the pool's edge. Her leg muscles tense, and, in a flash, she and the other swimmers dive beneath the water. "It's said our fastest racers swim like fish," says the voiceover. The swimmers push against the wall and turn. "Unfortunately, that's no longer fast enough." Kirk and the three other swimmers are trapped inside a fishing net and dragged to the surface. "One hundred million sharks are killed each year," Kirk says. "Stop the over-fishing or they'll be gone forever." The 30-second public service announcement ends with a plug for the sponsoring organization's website: www.wildaid.org.

Before Kirk was approached by WildAid, the destructive world of shark-finning was just another cause on the environmental periphery. But the way the nonprofit--devoted to ending illegal wildlife trade--sold that message resonated with her. Athletes were coming forward to champion animals on the brink--and she could help draw attention to the cause. As the Beijing summer Olympics draw near, top athletes, when not training and competing, are busy promoting themselves, pushing products and posing for sexy photo shoots. But others, like Kirk and fellow U.S. Olympic swimmer Aaron Peirsol, gymnast David Durante and beach volleyball star Misty May-Treanor, are using their star and sex appeal to bring focus to environmental issues--including water quality, endangered species and carbon emissions. These athletes don't profess to be climate experts, but they are being watched, and they're using that spotlight to get a green message heard.

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One Billion Served

WildAid features 15 athletes in their "World Champions for Wildlife" Campaign, including American swimmers Kirk and Amanda Beard, Ethiopian world marathon winner Haile Gebrselassie and Chinese athletes like Houston Rockets basketball star Yao Ming, that country's most famous export (and the sport's tallest player at 7 feet, 6 inches). Their Hollywood-produced PSAs …