Nicolas Hulot, Special Envoy of the French President for the 2015 Conference on Climate Change, announces his support for Phil Sharp’s zero-carbon emissions Vendée Globe campaign, whilst welcoming him as an ambassador for his Foundation.
The Vendée Globe Energy Challenge aims to develop a renewable energy powered, recyclable IMOCA yacht to be raced in the largest offshore sailing event today, the Ocean Masters World Championship. The race events build up to the Championship highlight, the Vendée Globe. Commonly referred to as the ‘Everest of Sailing’, this is the only non-stop, solo, round-the-world race today.
Highly regarded French environmentalist Nicolas Hulot, who is well known for his environment and nature documentary series “Ushuaia”, has provided his official endorsement of British sailor Phil Sharp’s Vendée Globe Energy Challenge campaign. His Foundation, La Fondation Nicolas Hulot, for which Phil has been made an ambassador, focuses heavily on this transition to a circular economy, educating people and organisations to adapt to this change, and supporting environmental initiatives both in France and internationally.
Nicolas Hulot commented:
“In 2015, France will host the world conference on climate change. This is a very important event not just for France, but also for the world. This is when the international community will officially agree on the scale of the climate change crisis. We will have to find solutions to make this humanely and economically manageable. Given how difficult it is to reach a consensus on its level, it is vital to be positive, rather than pessimistic, and focus people’s attention on the solutions.
“The goal of the Nicolas Hulot Foundation is to build up collective awareness of what a positive future can look like. Demonstrating today’s capabilities with initiatives such as the Zero-emissions Energy Challenge, in addition to locally implemented solutions within small businesses and communities, reveals a path that can be scaled up to benefit the wider society.
“What I like about Phil’s project is that he uses creativity to pro-actively take his part in our transition towards a circular economy model.”
Phil explained:
“Our project goal is to showcase the potential of the latest innovations in renewable energy production. The Vendée Globe crosses hostile and isolated territories such as the Southern Ocean. Demonstrating this zero-emissions vehicle in extreme environments, producing its own energy in total autonomy represents a powerful statement in today’s capabilities, enabling an accelerated transition towards sustainable energy models.
“Achieving our energy transition to a circular model is essential for all of us, and for this reason, I am very proud to be an ambassador of the Nicolas Hulot Foundation”.
The Vendée Globe Energy Challenge team are currently putting together a community of interest and reaching out to corporate partners that can benefit from the association with a powerful innovation platform breaking new grounds in energy management.
