Starboard turns SUP racing scene blue

On an unparalleled scale, the 2020 saw the world as we know it on fire. Brands and organisations across the globe are pledging to dedicate their efforts to become more sustainable and environmentally friendly. There has also been an amazing response from the SUP and surf communities. TotalSUP has been celebrating stories of brands channeling eco innovation and sustainable development to impact the world in a positive way. Starboard has been at the forefront of neutralizing their carbon footprint by planting mangrove trees in the Thor Heyerdahl Climate Park in Myanmar and supporting international SUP racing events to go carbon net positive.

Photo: Starboard SUP UK & Ireland

SUPporting The Industry

Dedicated to making the planet a better place, Starboard sponsors a wide range of events in the industry to become climate neutral or climate positive. In 2019 the brand supported OutDoor By ISPO, European Freestyle Pro Tour, Head of the Dart and the Nautic Salon in Paris. The Nautic Show joined Starboard to absorb the emissions of the event’s electricity usage and travel emissions by planting 24,000 mangrove trees.

The sponsorship of industry events aims to inspire, event organizers, participants, and attendees to think about their choices and decisions which ultimately can help or hinder the future of our planet.

Photo: APP World Tour / Paris SUP Open

Teaming up for 2020

Organisers of the Head of the Dart SUP Challenge 2020, the UK’s iconic event opening the SUP racing season, have confirmed they would be once again supported by Starboard to offset their carbon footprint.

Photo: Bray Lake Watersports / Emily Crawshaw

This is great news for the UK SUP racing scene which attracts increasing numbers of SUP enthusiasts each year looking to test their skills in a more competitive setting.

324 individuals attended the British SUP Championships event at Bray Lake in September 2019 alone. Whilst enjoying outdoor events there is a hidden negative effect on the environment that may not come to everyone’s mind straight away. It is more than likely that everyone contributed to adding to the planet’s greenhouse gasses, through the emission of carbon dioxide from travel. Each individual emits carbon dioxide whilst travelling unless walking or cycling. This is why the British SUP Club and Starboard came together to help the planet.

The British SUP Club asked for assistance from Starboard knowing the SUP and Windsurf company have done a lot to reduce and to plant trees to absorb the emissions. Starboard agreed to sponsor the event by planting enough mangrove trees to make the travel to and from the event carbon neutral. Sequestering all travel emissions for the championships.

81 of these attendees responded to the travel form provided. This travel form allowed for the team at Starboard to calculate the emissions of travel. To account for everyone the number of responses was multiplied by 4.

The breakdown of travel:
Car = 60,200 miles (96883 KM) 17.16 tonnes of CO2
Plane = 800 miles (1287.5KM) 0.36 tonnes of CO2
Train = 350 miles (563 KM) 0.02 tonnes of CO2
10% for any inconsistencies = 1.75
Total = 19.29 tonnes of CO2

The mangrove tree

Each mangrove tree absorbs 1 tonne of CO2 within its first 20 years of life. These magic trees absorb 5 times more CO2 than many other trees. Not only this but the roots of the trees also protect the shoreland from heavy storms and land erosion. These magical roots are home to schools of baby fish, with the replantation and protection of these mangroves fish stocks have increased by 50% in the Thor Heyerdahl Climate Park in Myanmar. For the British SUP Championships, 20 mangrove trees were planted to absorb the 19.29 tonnes of CO2 emitted from the attendees’ travel.

To find out more about Starboard environmental initiatives, visit www.blue.star-board.com

To find out more about Starboard innovation and and check out the 2020 board range, visit www.sup.star-board.com