America’s Cup 34
Sailors for the Sea has awarded its highest-level Clean Regattas certification to the America’s Cup Event Authority (ACEA) that oversaw the 34th America’s Cup in San Francisco this year.
Among other things, AC34 was the largest sporting event in the world to eliminate single-use plastic bottles, with free water stations pouring enough water to keep 76,744 bottles out of the waste stream.
“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,” David Rockefeller, Jr., chairman and co-founder of Sailors for the Sea, stated in a press release.
Additional accomplishments at AC34 include the fact that more than 85 percent of all event waste was recycled or composted; oil spill kits were placed on every boat; stringent boat refueling practices were followed; race management used water-only washdowns of its boats as well as microfiber cleaning mitts to eliminate the use of soap; and more than 800 volunteers removed about 18,000 pounds of trash from San Francisco Bay Shores during 24 beach cleanups.
Learn more at www.sailorsforthesea.org.
