Robin, Igor, Joakim and Brendan have embarked on a crazy adventure: a zero waste round-the-world sailing trip! During this two-year expedition, the sailors set themselves the objectives of reducing their waste as much as possible, participating in marine pollution research and developing respectful equipment, and finally raising public awareness during stopovers.
What is your project ?
The Sailing For Change project is a zero waste world tour on a sailboat. The main objective is to raise public awareness on the problem of waste and to present the existing solutions, alternatives to traditional consumption patterns and the concepts of circular economy.
The expedition is organized around 3 main axes: taking up the zero waste challenge during a round the world sailing trip, participating in scientific (macro-waste at sea) and technical research, supporting NGOs, associations or companies sensitive to Sustainable Development and players in the circular economy and raising awareness of waste issues among the widest public.
What was the primary motivation for the project ?
Whether it was in the education we received from our parents, the people we grew up with or in our school education, there has always been a place for respect for the environment and the desire to make things happen.
Some figures from serious organizations disturb us and confirm our will to act: “270,000 tons of floating waste in the oceans in 2014 – PLOS ONE”, “4 billion tons of waste generated in the world each year – Planetoscope”, “In 2050 the oceans will count more plastic than fish – Ellen MacArthur Foundation”.
For us it was the right time to do something. This post-study period allows us to step back and seriously question what we want to do. The famous expression of Bea Johnson “The best waste is the one we don’t produce” is in our blood and we are convinced that this zero waste world tour will awaken people’s awareness on waste issues.
What was the highlight of your experience?
The most important thing is that people are made aware about zero waste initiatives and more broadly about sustainable development, thanks to our actions and the advice we give through reports and the web series “How to live ‘zero waste’ style”. This world tour also aims to show that it is always possible to do things when we give ourselves the means, each at our own scale, like the hummingbird.
Even if the general state of our planet is rather sad and if it is sometimes difficult not to give in to a pessimistic discourse, this project gives us hope again because we discover that many solutions exist and that there are many people who act for change and are bearers of hope.
Do you have a message to spread ?
We are fortunate in France to have many people involved in Sustainable Development and zero waste initiatives. It is therefore very easy to get started and find bulk products, advice and help from associations. It is important to act at one’s own level.
Our advice to someone who wants to “do one’s part of the job” is first of all to deliver a message, to be informed on the issue that is important to us and to talk about it, to make more and more people feel concerned, little by little.
Then, the real starting point when one wants to invest oneself and “do one’s part of the job” is to turn to the associative sector. Joining an association means taking action, meeting people with whom you will share the same values and acting together. Associations are the representatives of “civil society” that acts with other actors, institutional or private, they have a real impact.
But “doing your part” is above all a state of mind, it means acting every day, motivating those around you and getting involved together for a sustainable future.
Surfrider encourages behavior change through its awareness actions. Everyone at its own level can be an actor of change in its daily life. During this adventure, the three young men were able to show alternative solutions to current consumption patterns and advocate a sustainable way of life, a hope for future generations.
