Welcome to Greenslam! Creating change is not just an issue for scientists and celebrities - it's time for all of us to take action! Join our work to make the sports we love environmentally friendly!
Billie Jean King
A champion of myriad meanings, Billie Jean King has challenged herself personally and professionally over the decades. King defeated Bobby Riggs in the 1973 Battle of the Sexes; Earned 39 Grand Slam tennis titles; Founded the Women's Tennis Association, Women's Sports Foundation, Women's Sports Magazine and Co-founded World Team Tennis. King was named one of the "100 Most Important Americans of the 20th Century" by Life Magazine and ranks No. 5 on Sports Illustrated's "Top 40 Athletes" list.
When the home of the U.S. Open was renamed the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on August 28, 2006, Billie Jean wanted her name to continue to serve as a catalyst for positive change. With environmental issues on her mind and in the news, the GreenSlam initiative was born one year later. Throughout her legendary career Billie Jean King has been fighting for what she believes in. King is rallying the support of athletes, sporting good manufacturers, promoters and fans alike to do their part in preserving our planet for generations to come!
Ilana Kloss
Partnering with Billie Jean King in life and for GreenSlam, Ilana Kloss is adept at rallying support of the sports world for good causes. Kloss was ranked No. 1 in the world in doubles in 1976 and has a number of accomplishments both on and off the tennis courts. She is Commissioner and Co-Founder of World Team Tennis, Chair of the Board of Trustees for the Women's Sports Foundation and oversees World Team Tennis' Smash Hits, a charity event co-hosted by Billie Jean King and Elton John, benefiting the Elton John AIDS Foundation and local AIDS charities. She was inducted into the National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in 2006 and was recently named "Sports Business Woman of the Year" by the Warsaw Sports Marketing Center.
Pam Derderian & Nancy Becker
Derderian and Becker are life partners and activists and are longtime friends of King and Kloss. They share several businesses including P. Girl Projects to develop media programming and brand marketing content and "15 Minutes" Inc., an event marketing and advertising agency. The pair are co-creators of the VISA Rainbow Card, a co-branded credit card which has raised over $2 million in philanthropic contributions.
To help raise consciousness about addressing climate change, they joined hands with a friend immersed in green building to create PlanIt Greener, a touring exhibition showcasing stylish and eco-friendly products and services for home builders and consumers.
They aim to build GreenSlam into a
positive force for environmental change and to support green collar
work opportunities for underserved people. They urgently hope the
world becomes a greener, safer place for their daughter to thrive
and learn to give back to her communities.
