The Nautic Show has joined Starboard to absorb the emissions of the event’s electricity usage and travel emissions. With 200,000 people attending the event this is the largest event of its kind to become carbon neutral through planting 24 000 trees.
The Nautic show team approached Starboard to switch it up another notch to help the environment. For this year, the Nautic Show becomes climate neutral.
In 2018, the two came together to offset the emissions from those who traveled to the largest paddle event in the world, The Paris Crossing. To absorb the emissions of the event 87 trees were planted. Above all, for 2019 the Nautic Show decided to step it up. By calculating all emissions from the events energy consumption, the attendee’s travel to the show and the paddle race. In 2018 there was such a great response from attendees who were so impressed that the Nautic Paddle went climate neutral. The Nautic Show team decided to influence people even further by planting even more trees to reduce their impact.
Signage At The Nautic Show Explaining The Events Environmental Efforts (With our partner Starboard, the nautic offsets the carbon footprint of its electricity consumption and that of its visitors by planting 24,000 mangroves).
The Nautic Show becomes climate neutral, what does that look like?
24,000 mangrove trees.
To find out the total amount of CO2 released, each element of the show and the paddling event were analyzed. The result of carbon dioxide emissions came to 24,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide. The conversion is fairly simple if you consider that 1 tree will absorb one tonne of CO2. The incredible team in Myanmar, the Worldview International Foundation, will be planting the trees in the mangrove park.
These mangrove forests are located in the Thor Heyerdahl Climate park where mangroves once thrived. In recent years, up to 50% of these mangroves have unfortunately been chopped down. The wood is sold as charcoal or cleared for shrimp or salt farms. Amazingly, this mangrove forest is now thriving again. The atmosphere is now being refreshed, thanks to the replantation of the mangrove trees who are sucking up the carbon dioxide. Fish stocks have increased and furthermore, Dugong (also known as Sea Cows), Elephants, and other wildlife have also come back to the forest!
Thor Heyerdahl Climate Park From Above. Photo By Trevor Tunnington
An Interview With Team Rider Fiona Wylde at the Nautic Show
Starboard team rider, Fiona Wylde, was part of the Starboard team of 3 who all bought home wins from the Nautic Paddle in Paris. We were intrigued to find out how she felt about the partnership so we asked her a few questions.
Starboard Team Rider Fiona Wylde After The Paris Crossing 2019. Photo @jcwindsurf
Please tell us what environmental efforts you saw at the event.
To see the combined efforts of Starboard and the Paris Boat Show on such a large stage is mesmerizing! The fact that Starboard has taken on the responsibility to neutralize our carbon footprint from the event is quite the feat. It’s easy to overlook our carbon footprint as we fly all over the world, but to stand up and make a change against it, is well, what we really all should be doing. A lot of us don’t have the means to plant 24,000 mangrove trees, so I thank Starboard, the Paris Boat Show and everybody involved for understanding our impact on this planet and leaving it a better place than we find it. Thank you!
What importance do you feel the water-sports industry holds for the environment?
Water-sports have a direct relationship with nature. We rely on the ocean, the wind, and the tide to be able to enjoy the sports that we love and we compete in. Without these incredible natural resources, we don’t have a sport. It is our job as players in the water-sports industry to make conscious decisions that benefit our environment and teach others to do the same.
How do you think the water sports industry can improve when it comes to environmental focuses?
More awareness needs to be created by the water-sports industry to explain what can be done to help improve our environment. It sounds like such a big daunting task for one person to clean up an ocean or reduce your carbon footprint to net zero. However, there are ways that we can all contribute. A good example is supporting events like the Paris Boat Show that is carbon neutral. Besides, looking for ways that you can individually improve the carbon footprint you bring to the event. It might seem small, but everything we do helps to improve the beautiful planet we live on.
Is there anything else you’d like to add?
I’d like to say thank you to Starboard and the Boat Show to understanding the importance of protecting our future. We all live and love water-sports and we must take care of what we love.
Starboard Team Rider Fiona Wylde At The Paris Crossing With The Eiffel Tower. Photo @jcwindsurf
The Mindset
Starboard is extremely proud to be a part of this partnership. With so many people attending the Nautic Show and Nautic Paddle, the message of becoming climate neutral will spread. If we are able to change the way people think in terms of their choices and how they implicate the wider world, then we together can make a lasting change for our planet.
The Starboard Athletes At The Nautic Paddle. Photo @jc_windsurf
