Passion points for BPP and wider sustainability issues:
- Through my role in The Ocean Race and SailGP I have been lucky enough to have travelled around the world and through this have been heartbroken by what I have seen with respect to plastic pollution of the oceans globally. Even in the most remote parts of the planet, including Point Nemo, the most remote point on the planet we still found Microplastics in the water samples we tested. As an athlete I feel I have a responsibility to help make our sport greener because we are far from blameless.
- Growing up in Bermuda I was always surrounded by the ocean and from this have always felt responsible for looking after the playground that holds such a place in my heart. In the middle of the Sargasso Sea the island typically ends up with plastic pollutions from all over the Atlantic, delivered by the gulf stream.
Top Tip for athlete advocates:
- I would love to see more people pledge to reduce their meat intake. I’ve been vegetarian for 2 years now after a gradual transition. It was hard at first but the economic, environmental and ethical points eventually convinced me. I understand many people want to keep meat in their diet and in some places such as NZ, dairy is a huge part of the local economy and would be more harmful to completely cut it out but I think reducing our consumption, just once or twice a week could have a very positive impact on our environmental footprint.
