Sustainability is about making positive and lasting changes in the way we use natural and human resources to improve quality of life for all. The Extreme Sailing Series brings sporting entertainment to the shores of venues around the world… this kind of sailing not only provides great entertainment but also uses a sport that in more general terms illustrates well some of the values of a more sustainable way of going about our lives and work. As organisers, our responsibility is to embed sustainability in our working practice, even with an event which by definition (global circuit) has an unavoidable footprint.

The Extreme Sailing Series’ vision is to organise entertaining, safe, environmentally and socially friendly events and leave a sustainable legacy for the venues and the public. The strategic objectives for the events are in the process of being underpinned by the principles of “sustainable development”.  OC Events is committed to maximising the economic, social, environmental and sporting benefits the events bring to its partners, to the venues, the public and the sailing teams. We make a the commitment to deliver as best we can low-footprint (low-carbon, low-waste) accessible and ethical events.

To do so, we have created a program called “Open to Change”  with three main goals:

1. Energy & Water
We are keen to demonstrate long-term solutions in terms of energy and water resource management, transport, local food and catering. We aim to minimise the environmental footprint and carbon emissions of events and legacy development, notably by optimising energy efficiency, energy demand and use of low carbon energy sources.

2. Waste and recycling
We will minimise waste at source, divert construction waste and all event-time waste away from landfill wherever feasible, and promote the waste hierarchy of ‘reduce, reuse, recycle’ to facilitate long-term individual behavioural change.

3. Community engagement
In the organisation of the Extreme Sailing Series, we will ensure that local community (including local yacht club, local government etc) is adequately consulted during event planning stage. We will aim to involve local community groups in the event where practicable (e.g. schools, charities etc). We will recruit workers and volunteers from local workforce. An official charity will to be chosen by each sailing team to support.

Management and delivery
The management team together with the stakeholders will ensure the delivery against these objectives through the following measures:
–  Integrating sustainability principles into the day-to-day management. OC Events and Extreme Sailing Series will work closely with the venues, the partners, the sailing teams, the suppliers…
–  Procuring goods, services and sponsorship sustainably with an emphasis on supplier diversity, fair employment and environmental attributes, as well as other social and ethical criteria as appropriate
–  Developing active partnerships with non-Governmental organisations, community groups, businesses, professional bodies and academia to help leverage the opportunities provided by the events and to utilise the Extreme sailing series to mobilise enthusiasm and maximise benefits.

Progress against the overall objectives will be charted by annual sustainability reporting. OC Group and official stakeholders will ensure that adequate resources and personnel are engaged to deliver against the
objectives.  Each team will also have its own specific key performance indicators and targets, which will be reviewed every two years to take account of evolving policies, standards, best practices and technology.

EXTREME SAILING SERIES Sustainability performance objectives
1. Accountability
2. Environmental Stewardship & Impact Reduction
3. Social Inclusion & Responsibility
4. Local Participation & Collaboration
5. Economic Benefits from Sustainability
6. Sport for Sustainable Living

CONCLUSION
Through this sustainability charter, we aim to support the following legacy goals:
- Provide minimal negative impacts on the environment
- Check responsible sourcing
- Bring excellent customer experience
- Provide a safe and secure atmosphere
- Encourage more sustainable behaviour
- Inspire young generations to practice sport and sailing
- Involve local communities
- Leave a positive legacy

We, as organisers are committed to follow this sustainability charter.

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