On the waterways of Miami Beach, where dolphins swim alongside boats and starfish rest idly beneath the surface, Miami rower Sophia Philipp trains.
Her oars cut clean through the water as the junior pushes through another practice with the UM rowing team, the rhythm of each stroke as steady as the current beneath her.
But this season — her third competing under Miami’s banner — her focus hasn’t just been on the water.
It’s been on something bigger.
Philipp now captains “Team Miami” alongside Miami teammate Maria Mastrando in the EcoAthletes Collegiate Cup. Transforming physical activity into environmental currency, it’s an international competition that funds beach and ocean clean-ups.
EcoAthletes, a nonprofit founded in 2020, works with professional, Olympic and collegiate athletes to turn their platforms into tools for climate advocacy. Through mentorship, media training and networking opportunities, the organization helps athletes find their voice on an issue many have traditionally avoided.
For Philipp, the mission isn’t abstract. It’s inseparable from the sport she spends hours immersed in each day.
“My sport wouldn’t be possible without clean oceans, without a clean environment,” Philipp said.
Before discovering EcoAthletes, she said her passion for rowing and sustainability existed in separate spaces. One was defined by discipline and competition, the other by personal interest and advocacy.
“Athletics and my sustainability work always felt like two separate lives,” Philipp said. “Being able to [merge] those two has just been a surreal experience.”
Founder and CEO of EcoAthletes, Lewis Blaustein, launched the organization with the goal of having athletes lead climate change activism.
Blaustein believes athletes hold a unique cultural influence — one capable of shaping conversations far beyond the field, court or water.
“Athletes are the most influential humans on the planet, [and] they have led on all manner of social issues,” he said. “Muhammad Ali, Billie Jean King, Colin Kaepernick, Megan Rapinoe — and yet we don’t have the Megan Rapinoes or Muhammad Ali’s of climate [change].”
Part of that absence, he said, stems from hesitation. Climate change can feel too political, too scientific or too polarizing for athletes to publicly engage with. EcoAthletes aims to change that by guiding athletes from being “climate curious” to becoming leaders in the space.
For Philipp, joining that movement meant finding a sense of belonging she didn’t realize was missing.
“It’s almost like finding your perfect little niche,” she beamed. “Like a missing puzzle piece.”
That connection is especially tangible in Miami, where the environment isn’t just a concept, but a daily reality.
“Everyone sees the University of Miami — beach, palm trees, dolphins,” Philipp said. “But only if we’re willing to sustain that.”
Through the Collegiate Cup, that idea becomes action. Participants log their workouts through an app, and each step, stroke or mile contributes to environmental funding efforts supported by organizations like Ocean Conservancy. In its first year of competition, Team Miami has already climbed into the top tier among nearly 50 schools nationwide.
“Sophia drives enthusiasm and curiosity for what EcoAthletes is doing and what the Collegiate Cup is about,” Blaustein said. “And Miami is in the top tier in its first year.”
For Blaustein, the goal extends beyond competition or visibility. It’s about how the organization can harness the emotional pull of sports. Turning the intensity, loyalty and connection that makes sports today so compelling can drive real, equitable change.
That idea often returns to the same waters where Philipp trains.
Between early morning practices and long rows through Miami Beach’s intercoastal, the environment is not just a backdrop. It is a constant presence. Something seen, felt and protected.
Every time she cuts through the water, she moves through an ecosystem she has come to understand, depend on and now, actively fight to protect.
“It’s an honor to even be a part of it,” Philipp smiled.
And in the water, that mission isn’t distant or abstract — it’s right beneath her, moving with every stroke.
