Speech at the "No Emission Race" in Gävle

On July 8 - 10, 2022, the Gefle Segel Sällskap arranged the No Emission Race - Swedish Nationals & Nordic Open Championships for 505 dinghies.

The regatta took place on open water in moderate winds outside Gävle on Sweden's east coast just north of Stockholm.

We were invited to give a speech about emission-free sailing in its essence and what an " on" sustainable lifestyle onboard a family sailor can look like. After the speech, there was a panel discussion with representatives from all political parties in Gävle – a fruitful and sometimes intense happening:-)

Apart from being a race, the aim is also to draw attention to the Baltic Sea's environmental problems and form a platform for sustainable, future solutions. The Baltic Sea is a sensitive inland sea with eutrophication and the accumulation of harmful chemicals, noticeable through algal blooms and high toxin levels in fish. The five threats to the Baltic Sea are – poisoning, eutrophication, overfishing, climate change, and marine litter. Through this event, Gefle Segel Sällskap wants to contribute to increased knowledge about the Baltic Sea and convey that everyone can contribute to a more sustainable sea! The No Emission Race is a sustainability-certified event - including ecological, social, and financial - sustainability by Greentime, with which the Swedish Sailing Association collaborates.

Our presentation focused on obvious dilemmas within the sailing world and how we have been tackling those within our project and with the tests and experiments along the way.

Swedish Radio was there to cover the event live (Note to self: Smile on the radio BB!) and to spread the message about sustainability in the general and sustainable lifestyle around the sensitive Baltic Sea in particular. Two issues that are extremely well connected as our water and oceans are all one on this planet.

This issue was given extra attention when the reporter realized that 8-year-old Kaikāne from Maui was one of the visitors at the event. Kaikāne is a representative from the generations to come and his home is one of the Hawaiian islands in the vast Pacific Ocean, some 11.000 km from Gävle. - -