Platinum! For the 34th America's Cup - Sailors for the Sea

Platinum! For the 34th America’s Cup

 October 17, 2013  | By: Oceana

Since July 2011, we worked with the ACEA to support their vision and plan of delivering a model sustainability sporting event. An extensive best management practice checklist was created, and an independent review panel evaluated the sustainability efforts throughout the racing in San Francisco.

The result? The 34th America’s Cup earned our highest level Clean Regattas certification and is the largest sporting event in the world to eliminate single-use plastic bottles!

As David Rockefeller, Jr., chairman and co-founder, Sailors for the Sea, said, “The collaborative efforts between Sailors for the Sea and ACEA resulted in an expanded Clean Regattas program that will benefit the ocean that boaters rely on, and established a model framework within which other world-class sporting events can strive to achieve the highest possible levels of sustainability.”

What was accomplished?

  • Over 85% of all event waste was recycled or composted
  • Free water stations at the America’s Cup venues poured 38,372 liters of water; equal to 76,744 500mL single-use plastic bottles eliminated from the waste stream
  • Oil spill kits were placed on every boat and stringent boat refueling practices were followed
  • Education was provided to boat drivers about fuel saving driving techniques; fuel-efficient race management boats were procured that reduced air emissions and fuel usage
  • America’s Cup Race Management used water-only wash downs of race management boats and microfiber cleaning mitts to eliminate the use of soap
  • Over 800 volunteers removed approximately 18,000 lbs. of trash from the shores of San Francisco Bay at 24 beach cleanups.
  • The America’s Cup Healthy Ocean Project collected 7,000 public pledges to protect the marine environment