Opening Day downpour but no damp spirits

Promoting a more sustainable future

By Ivor Wilkins The Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron’s tree-planting programme at Kawau Island has been selected for a new project whereby companies and individuals can buy carbon credits to offset their emissions.

The New Zealand-based system is called Carbon Click and sets out to combat climate change and promote a sustainable future through a web-based application (carbonclick. com) that allows companies and individuals to calculate their level of carbon emissions and purchase offsets to ameliorate their impact.

“We are in a climate emergency,” said Carbon Click founder Dave Rouse at a function at the RNZYS to promote sustainable practice. “The science is crystal clear. If we do not take action, we will face enormous social and economic consequences.

“Good projects like native reforestation have amazing social benefits, biodiversity benefits and create climate resilience into the future,” said Rouse.

Carbon offsets can be purchased by supporting selected certified projects, one of which is native tree-planting at Kawau, which is one of the legacy items that formed part of the Squadron’s 150th Anniversary programme.

“So far, $100,000 has been invested in that project and we are working to grow that,”

General Committee member Sheryl Lanigan told the meeting the club had made a lot of progress with sustainable practices over the past five years. “At Kawau, more than 8,000 trees have been planted so far and there is more to come,” she said.

Michelle Henderson also reported that big strides had been made in making Squadron events and regattas sustainable. “Our baseline now for every regatta is gold standard,” she said. Later this year, the Women’s World Match Race Championships was aiming to lift its practices to achieve platinum status for the first time.”

Emirates Team New Zealand Operations Manager Nick Burridge also addressed the meeting about the revolutionary new hydrogen-powered foiling chase boats the team has produced.

“The boat has generated huge global media attention, demonstrating what can be achieved with hydrogen technology,” he said.

The technology of foiling yachts had moved a long way past the technology of the support boats trying to keep up with them, he added, leading to huge consumption of fossil fuel and carbon emission.

ETNZ had undertaken to redress this imbalance by promoting carbon emissionfree technology on a world stage at one of the world’s largest sporting events. Every team competing at the America’s Cup would be required to use hydrogen-powered foiling chase boats capable of a top speed of 50 knots

The Kawau tree-planting project is earning income through carbon offsetting – Cooper Hopman photo.

The zero carbon ETNZ hydrogen chase boat has generated global media interest.

and running for at least four hours at 30 knots without refueling.

“This is going to be a catalyst to change the mindset away from the idea that in order to go faster, you have to add more fossil fuel burning horsepower,” he said. It would also help promote hydrogen industry for wider land based commercial operation, Burridge added.