The sport of sailing relies heavily on the health of the world’s oceans and waterways and its participants are now evolving to become some of the Earth’s fiercest protectors.
11th Hour Racing, in collaboration with the Schmidt Family Foundation, is prioritizing sustainable sailing from strategy to everyday practices to embed deep and lasting positive change on the marine environment.
“We are not selling a product. This is purely about sustainability,” said Jill Savery, 11th Hour Racing’s Sustainability Advisor,
Get The Latest Sports Tech News In Your Inbox!
Jill Savery, who holds a Master’s from Yale’s School of Forestry and Environment Studies, has seen a paradigm shift in sailing that has been spurred on by top thought leaders and competitors, including famed Olympian Sir Ben Ainslie.
Image licensed to Lloyd Images and courtesy of 11th hour racing
“Global sports events around the world are trying new ways to encourage fans to adopt more sustainable behaviors, such as not using single use plastic water bottles,” Savery said. “The Ellen MacArthur Foundation says that by 2050 oceans are expected to contain more plastics than fish by weight and sports events offer an ideal opportunity to engage with people and inspire them to take action.”
Ainslie’s actions prove sustainability efforts frame the impact he wants his team Land Rover BAR (Ben Ainslie Racing) and 11th Hour Racing to have to lead and engage stakeholders.
“11th Hour Racing has successfully created an innovative model of sponsorship with Land Rover BAR, where success is measured not by an increase of product sales, but by a quantifiable influence in terms of positive environmental and social impact,” said Jeremy Pochman, President of 11th hour Racing.
The Land Rover BAR team greatly assisted in building a Green Certified (BREEAM Excellent) training facility for their team in the UK that has a long list of green elements:
- 97% demolition materials recycled
- 100% demolition concrete crushed and reused in foundations
- 100% renewable electricity, maximising own production through 432 solar PV panels covering 100% available roof space
- 25% water efficiency improvement from building regulations
- Efficient use of natural light and ventilation through a giant central atrium.
- Energy management and monitoring system, with 15 separate building performance monitoring points.
- 30% energy savings through LED lighting
- 100% VOC compliant paints & carpets
- Rain water collection and reuse, with a 1200-litre tank harvesting rainwater
- 30 cycle racks
- Artificial reef project, with 50 marine species and the reintroduction of native oysters
- Landscaping introducing nine native plant species
- Roof top bee habitats (planned for 2016)
Land Rover BAR team harnesses sensory technology and virtual reality training for it’s crew of sailors and coaches. The use of technology aligns with 11th Hour Racing’s mission to cut back on fuel consumption and lengthen the longevity of boats by cutting time spent in the water. The “Virtual Chase Boat” -as it has been coined- also supplies the Land Rover BAR team with performance metrics to enhance coaching and future training maneuvers.
Smarter choices on the event sustainability side have also been ushered in by sailing organizers. During the Louis Vuitton World Series in NYC this May, 11th Hour Racing collaborated with event organizers to make the live sports event beyond a spectacle and instead a statement on the future of environmental savviness.
The 2016 LV World Cup issued no balloons, offered water-refill stations, asked sponsors and team to minimize packaging and for the service industry to use reusable or compostable serviceware and environmentally friendly packaging (biodegradable cups, bamboo cutlery, reusable cloth bags, etc.).