The plan for the America’s Cup Summer of Racing in San Francisco is to be carbon neutral, as a result of a partnership announced today between America’s Cup Event Authority (ACEA) and Vancouver, BC based Offsetters, North America’s top carbon management solutions supplier.
America's Cup Trophy in San Francisco © ACEA 2013: Photo Gilles Martin-Raget
Today’s announcement supports ACEA’s commitment to sustainability while delivering one of the most fiercely competitive sporting events, as four teams race for the oldest trophy in international sport.
“Our unique partnership with Offsetters marks the 34th America’s Cup as the first in history to have an Official Carbon Credit Supplier, and is a crucial step forward to meeting our goal to make this race as sustainable as possible,” said Stephen Barclay, CEO of ACEA.
To help the America’s Cup reach its sustainability goals, Offsetters will provide a portfolio of high quality carbon credits that have strong links to marine benefits and the sport of sailing. Offsetters will also manage the America’s Cup Sustainability Credit (“ACSC”) Program.
Each ACSC is comprised of a carbon credit equivalent to removing one tonne of greenhouse gas emissions from the atmosphere, and a cash donation to a restoration project in San Francisco Bay, where the sailing event takes place. The aquatics-related carbon credit projects will prevent emissions from entering into the atmosphere, thereby compensating for the emissions arising from the event that are under the control of the event organizers. All carbon credits will be sourced from high-quality projects, designed to meet or exceed the highest international standard for carbon accounting and offsetting.
The America’s Cup Sustainability Plan outlines the ACEA’s approach to delivering sustainable event activities in San Francisco. Strategies include diverting materials away from landfill, sourcing local and sustainable food, and reducing emissions from transportation. A robust event carbon management strategy is being implemented to measure the event carbon footprint, reduce ACEA’s owned emissions, and to compensate for ACEA’s unavoidable emissions associated with event activities in San Francisco.
Offsetters and ACEA will also work with interested stakeholders who want to compensate for their own emissions from the Summer of Racing – resulting from air travel and other carbon emitting activities – by encouraging them to acquire ACSC.
“We’re proud to partner with such a historic sporting event and to showcase ACEA’s forward-thinking leadership in environmental sustainability,” said Dr. James Tansey, CEO of Offsetters. “The projects we have chosen to offset its emissions will continue as living environmental legacies of the 34th America’s Cup, long after the athletes and spectators have returned home.”
