Moeller Alumnus Brent Suter '08 Speaks to Moeller Students

Brent Suter ‘08 was a keynote speaker at Moeller for an all-school assembly on Wednesday, January 24th.

Brent Suter is an MLB left-handed pitcher who recently signed with his hometown Cincinnati Reds. He has previously played for the Milwaukee Brewers and Colorado Rockies. Despite his successful and notable MLB career, he spent much of his time addressing this year’s schoolwide theme, integral ecology.

Brent Suter speaking to Moeller students on January 24th.

Suter studied environmental science and public policy at Harvard University, so Moeller’s theme this year is one that is close to his heart. Although he temporarily had to set aside his future in the environmental space for his baseball dreams, Suter has done extensive work raising awareness of environmental issues and helping to make athletic stadiums more environmentally friendly.

Suter emphasized a saying throughout his talk: “If anything matters, everything matters,” which was how he addressed people’s potential doubts that they can have an actual impact on the environment. Additionally, he mentioned the five Rs of caring for the environment: refuse, reduce, reuse, recycle, and rot. These are key steps individuals can take to help care for the environment.

Suter shared that his interest in the environment was sparked when he saw a documentary called An Inconvenient Truth as a teenager. “I didn’t know the extent our society was causing damage to the environment,” Suter stated, explaining that the revelation spurred him on a path to help make positive changes for our planet’s future.

After some years in the league, Suter went public with his passion for the environment. In 2019, he began a campaign called #StrikeOutWaste to reduce single-use plastics in sports. To bring his campaign idea alive, he partnered with Zulu Athletic, a reusable bottle manufacturer. In 2020, his efforts were rewarded when he was nominated for the Roberto Clemente Award, which is a prestigious individual award given to an MLB player who exemplifies the game of baseball, sportsmanship, community involvement, and contributions to his team.

Towards the end of his speech, Suter stressed the importance of doing what you can now, so that your future children can live in a safe environment. Additionally, he explained how we should strive to get back into balance with our planet.

 After a final applause, he opened the floor to the students for questions.