Patricie Mackova Is Making The World A Little Greener One Swing At A Time

The golf course is a safe haven for Patricie Mackova of the Maryland women's golf team. But it has become much more than that over the last few years. In February 2023, Mackova partnered with a company called EcoAthletes as a Champion. The company identifies athletes (college ranks to professional), scientists, climate scientists, business leaders, and eco-entrepreneurs to come together to combat the climate crisis, hopefully leading to action worldwide. 

Since its founding, EcoAthletes has partnered with hundreds of athletes across the globe in different disciplines to come together to combat climate change, including former Terps women's soccer All-American Jasmyne Spencer.

"I've always cared about sustainability and climate change and how we can help the environment safe and the world from warming up," says Mackova. "It's hard to do this by myself because I haven't met many people that would share the same thoughts. But all she needed was a platform.

It all started when she posted a story on her social media about how we can be more eco-friendly with shopping at the grocery store. That's when one of her friends (Inja Fric, who plays golf at NC State) from Slovenia reached out to Mackova to tell her about the organization and to let her know that she's not the only one thinking about how to save the Earth. It would be soon that the biochemistry major would have a one-on-one conversation with the founder, Lew Blaustein, and after that, she was 100% in. 

"I really like chemistry and biology, how human chemistry works, and how chemistry and the human body interact. I like to discover, and I think it's pretty close to what I tried to do here with sustainability because it connects us to human nature."

Mackova's role is simple, to be a Champion or an ambassador of sorts to influence the people around her. This year, EcoAthletes kicked off the Inaugural 'Collegiate Cup,' where Champions lead their teams in a three-month challenge by exercising to take as much CO2 (carbon dioxide) out of the environment and turn greenhouse gases into clean energy by using environmental currency. 

"I would like to try for the next year to get more student-athletes to participate in the program because I think it's a really cool idea, like, you don't need to do much to participate. It's as simple as working out and being active," Mackova says. 

Currently, as the 30th-ranked collegiate player in the nation and one best amateur golfers in the world, Mackova hopes she can influence her peers at Maryland to be more eco-friendly by adequately using the recycling bins around campus and properly disposing of trash. A simple tip for everyone is to be mindful of the cups you use when going to places like Starbucks and use your refillable water bottle in class and at the gym.

"I spend a lot of time in nature-ish environments. I know the golf course is not super nature-sensitive sometimes, but I love going out and spending some time outside, even on the golf course or on walks. So I think we should take care of the Earth better than we now."

The international student-athlete from the Czech Republic admits, at times, it takes work to be eco-friendly with various flights around the globe to play in multiple tournaments. That's the price of trying to play golf at the highest level. But, she does take steps on campus and during competitions to help the planet by walking to class and only using a golf cart if she has to.

To date, golf organizations around the world like the USGA (United States Golf Associaton), PGA of America, International Golf Federation, Audubon International (which the Maryland Terrapins call the University of Maryland Golf Course home is a member of), Sports for Climate Action, and the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America has spent millions of dollars for education and research make the golf more sustainable and how it improves the overall quality of the surrounding communities.

For Mackova, it's all about working the little things into your everyday life. "Let's say you try to recycle one percent of the time; sometimes it's hard, but it's better than nothing. I say that because I feel like in America, they do a good job of getting people to recycle and educating people on why it's good to be sustainable, but outside of campus, it's not great. It's hard to find recycling bins, but you can always try. It's as simple as turning out the lights when you're not inside the room, and all these small things that I think people ignore can make a big difference in the long run."

"I recently learned that the most influential people on social media are athletes," Mackova says. "That blew my mind because I had no idea. They have much more influence than we think they do in our everyday lives. I try to raise awareness about all this, and maybe a few people after reading this will be like, maybe there's something a little more I can do to help protect the environment, and that's all I care about." 

Who knows, perhaps the power of one golf swing and a personal mission to save the planet might one day make the world a better place and just a bit greener… only time will tell.