To our beautiful planet,
My heart is full of remorse about what is happening to you. You never asked for this.
Greenhouse gas emissions, deforestation, overfishing, our dependency on single-use plastics… the warning signs were all there. You are blameless in all of this of course, this is a mess that we as humans have created, and we can see that you are upset. The extreme weather, the natural disasters, the droughts, the forest fires, the melting of the ice caps – things are indeed starting to spiral out of control.
As today is Valentine’s Day, I wanted to send you a little note to remind you how much I love, appreciate and respect you and your incredible beauty.
We have come a long way, you and I. It was around this time three years ago that things started to change for the better. Do you remember? I realised the strain I was putting you under, and I decided to seek outside council. The team at 11th Hour Racing helped me find solutions to mitigate the negative impact on your resources. We are in a much better place now than we were in 2015, don’t you think?
I know you don’t like plastic, it poisons your waters and gives nothing back to your ecosystem. In the last three years, I removed over 95,000 single-use plastic bottles from circulation, and I stopped giving my staff wasteful plastic utensils for their lunches.
It’s quite clear that too much carbon is entering your atmosphere, so I measure and track my own carbon footprint during each and every event. My aim is to be one of the most sustainable racing circuits in the world, so the carbon I couldn’t avoid this year, I offset with Climate Care.
As a public display of affection, I submitted myself for independent assessment and was awarded ISO 20121 status. It’s a formal commitment that means I adhere to the industry standards for sustainable event operations and management. I’m trying!
I’m doing lots of other things, perhaps too many to include in this letter. If you want to read about what else I’m doing to #ProtectOurPlayground, I’ve added the 2018 Sustainability Report to my website.
I know it’s complicated and there are a million and one things left to do. I’m not perfect, but I’m doing my best and learning more each day. I’m hoping that others are also starting to question their own ways and wants.
I hope you will let us all back into your heart. Comfort leads to complacency, and we have all been too comfortable for too long.
Forever yours,
The 52 SUPER SERIES
