Sustainability Plan

 VOLVO OCEAN RACE 2015 NEWPORT STOPOVER Sustainability Plan Environmental responsibility on land and at sea. 1 Executive Summary The Volvo Ocean Race Newport Stopover brings a global grand prix sailing event to one of the world’s premiere sailing venues, and represents the only North American stopover during the entirety of the 2014-­‐2015 Volvo Ocean Race. This is the first time Newport, Rhode Island has been selected as a stopover, and the event promises to bring significant attention to everything the city of Newport and Rhode Island have to offer. Hosting a sustainable event is a key value of the Newport Stopover. The Volvo Ocean Race Newport Stopover Sustainability Plan (“The Plan”) was developed by the Sustainability Committee with the goal of: “Minimizing the event’s environmental impact and leveraging these efforts to educate sailors, attendees, and other race hosts on sustainability best practices.” The Sustainability Plan outlines the Committee’s approach to deliver a sustainable Newport Stopover given the information known at this time. The Sustainability Plan will evolve as more information becomes available, it will develop and expand to improve the sustainability performance of the event. It will also be revised as appropriate to comply with any requirements associated with regulatory compliance. The committee has defined Sustainability as: “Optimizing the social, economic, and environmental impacts of all event activities, leaving a positive legacy on the local community and attendees, and protecting our natural environment.” The following event themes have been identified to provide focus for the plan, aimed at minimizing potential negative impacts and maximizing the legacy benefits of the Newport Stopover activities. • Resource Efficiency • Education & Outreach • Climate & Energy • Marine Environment 2 Table of Contents Introduction Newport Stopover – Event Overview Benefits of Hosting the Volvo Ocean Race in Newport Sustainability Committee Event Context Sustainability Vision Sustainability Themes Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 8 Page 9 APPENDIX 1. 2012 America’s Cup World Series Composting & Recycling Summary 2. Sustainable Event Protocols by the Newport Energy and Environmental Commission 3. Clean Regattas Best Practices by Sailors for the Sea 4. Sustainability Outreach Materials 5. Education Training 6. Metrics and Performance Benchmarks “The environment does not exist as a sphere separate from human beings, ambitions, and needs. Sustainability refers to a holistic perspective that harmonizes social, economic and environmental dimensions and systems.” Our Common Future, 1987 Report United Nations World Commission on Environment and Development 3 1. Introduction Background The 2014/2015 Volvo Ocean Race is one of the world’s premier ocean racing events and its arrival into Newport, Rhode Island will usher in a new era of high-­‐performance racing that Newport has not seen since the America’s Cup World Series (ACWS) in 2012. Event organizers learned many lessons during ACWS such as attracting a large number of spectators to Fort Adams State Park and how to handle and mitigate the impact of these spectators. The 2015 Volvo Ocean Race Newport Stopover will build upon the lessons learned in sustainable event management and achieve the following goals: • Leave Aquidneck Island and the surrounding coastal zone cleaner than • Educate spectators about basic concepts in sustainability • Demonstrate the benefits and ability to integrate impactful sustainability measures into high-­‐performance racing events. • Achieve the “most environmentally responsible” stopover Newport, Rhode Island was selected to host the 2015 North American VOR Stopover in November 2012. Former Governor Lincoln D. Chafee of Rhode Island noted that the state had “positive experiences” hosting the America’s Cup World Series Event in 2012 and by investing in a few strategic marine infrastructure improvements Fort Adams State Park would “pave the way for a new era of racing in Rhode Island.” Sustainability Plan This Sustainability Plan provides information on how the Sustainability Committee intends to promote sustainability and environmental stewardship during the Newport Stopover. The Sustainability Plan is subject to revision and will be edited accordingly. This Sustainability Plan provides a holistic perspective for event-­‐related sustainability activities that will be implemented by a cross-­‐functional team of stakeholders, volunteers, and various organizations involved in hosting the Newport Stopover. It describes how these organizations intend to impart Aquidneck Island with a positive social purpose and a lasting legacy for other events to work towards achieving. 4 2. Volvo Ocean Race Newport Stopover – Event Overview On November 25, 2012 Rhode Island Governor Lincoln D. Chafee and VOR CEO Knut Frostad announced that Rhode Island would be hosting its first VOR Stopover during the 12th edition of the race, formerly known as the Whitbread Round the World Race. Sail Newport, a community nonprofit sailing center that has been providing accessible sailing to Newport since 1983, was designated as the Stopover Host and it’s Executive Director, Brad Read, was appointed the Stopover Director. Upon leaving Itajai, Brazil (the Stopover previous to Newport on this round-­‐the-­‐world tour), officials expect the first race boats to arrive in Newport sometime around May 6-­‐9, 2015, which coincides with the opening of the Race Village located at Fort Adams State Park. The Race Village will include numerous activities, events, and other exciting activation elements to inform and engage specters. Between May 6 and May 13, Sail Newport will host “Try Sailing”, free sailing tours off Fort Adams, as well as inshore racing with various fleets on the Bay. The Volvo Ocean Race fleet will compete in Pro-­‐Am Racing on May 14th and 15th, and an In-­‐Port Racing on May 16th. The Leg Restart will be on May 17th. It is expected that the last weekend of the Stopover will bring the most amount of spectators to Fort Adams State Park. The VOR Pro-­‐Am Racing, In-­‐Port Race and the Leg Restart will take place in the southern region of Narragansett Bay between Aquidneck Island (Newport) and Conanicut Island (Jamestown), bounded by the Pell Newport Bridge to the North. Predominant boat traffic is expected between Newport Harbor and Jamestown, with some boaters likely from other harbors on Narragansett Bay. To make the sport more accessible, all racing will occur off the western shoreline of Fort Adams State Park, which will provide a great vantage point for spectators. 5 3. Benefits of Hosting the Volvo Ocean Race Newport Stopover The Newport Stopover provides an unparalleled opportunity to showcase the City of Newport and boost Rhode Island’s economy by bringing in a significant number of visitors. Estimates based on previous Stopovers predict between 60,000 – 100,000 visitors to Newport, depending on the weather. During the 2012 America’s Cup World Series, Rhode Island state tourism officials reported that 60,000 spectators came to Fort Adams to witness the event and an independent analysis revealed that the total economic impact amounted to $38.2 million in sales for Rhode Island businesses.1 To corroborate this statistic, an independent analysis revealed that the 2012 Volvo Ocean Race Stopover in Galway, Ireland brought 500,000 spectators and was worth €60.5 million ($70 million USD) to the Irish Economy.2 Newport and Narragansett Bay have a long history of pristine sailing conditions for athletes as well as awe-­‐inspiring coastal landscapes for visitors. Located north of New York and south of Boston, Newport is also very well suited to receive an influx of tourists from both of these major cities. Spectators that come to Newport will be able to easily view the In-­‐Port Races and the Leg Restart from Fort Adams State Park with ease and clarity. Combined with the amount of hotels, restaurants, bed and breakfasts, and other tourism infrastructure make Newport and Rhode Island a world-­‐class venue and ideal host for the VOR Stopover. The City and Sail Newport have extensive experience hosting premier sailing events including the 2014 J/24 World Championships, the 2014 Etchells World Championships, the 2013 J/22 World Championships, but most importantly a long history of hosting numerous America’s Cup events from 1857 to 1983. In 2012, Sail Newport also hosted one of the six America’s Cup World Series events that preceded the 34th America’s Cup. 1 Large Marine Events Benefits Assessment Modeling Report, prepared by Planning Decisions, Inc. and Charles Colgan, Ph.D., University of Southern Maine, 2013 2 An Economic Assessment of the Volvo Ocean Race Finale, Galway 2012 prepared by J.E Cairnes School of Business & Economics, 2012 (available at http://www.nuigalway.ie/about-­‐us/news-­‐
and-­‐events/news-­‐archive/2012/november2012/volvo-­‐ocean-­‐race-­‐report-­‐finds-­‐economic-­‐
benefit-­‐of-­‐605-­‐million-­‐to-­‐host-­‐city.html) 6 4. Volvo Ocean Race Newport Stopover Sustainability Committee Partners As the Stopover Host, Sail Newport formed multiple committees to engage stakeholders and ensure a well-­‐executed event. The Sustainability Committee was tasked with the oversight of all sustainability and environmental stewardship initiatives in an effort to minimize the negative environmental impacts of this three-­‐week event. The Committee met bi-­‐weekly in the months leading up to the event. The Committee members included: Committee Member Organization Janet Coit, oit Co-­‐Chair Tyson Bottenus Liza Burkin Lauren Carson Bari Freeman Ron Gagnon Jenny Lybeck Dave McLaughlin Susan Michini William Mitchell R.I. Department of Environmental Management (RI DEM) Sailors for the Sea Bike Newport Newport Energy and Environmental Commission (NEEC) Bike Newport R.I. Department of Environmental Management (RI DEM) 11th Hour Racing Clean Ocean Access SCA R.I. Department of Environmental Management (RI DEM) 7 5. Volvo Ocean Race Newport Stopover Event Context The Sustainability Plan was developed with the best available information, but as Newport Stopover plans are finalized, it may be necessary to modify strategies to account for changing conditions. Further information about the event will inform the strategies used to limit their environmental impact on Newport and Narragansett Bay. Mitigating environmental impacts as a component of major event planning has been practiced for many years and is becoming a standard practice across the US. Several sustainable event “Best Practices” checklists were utilized in the creation of the Sustainability Plan. These include the “Newport Sustainable Events Protocol Checklist” created by the Newport Energy and Environmental Commission in 2013, as well as the “Clean Regattas Checklist” developed by Sailors for the Sea. Both of these checklists can be found in the Appendix. Because the Sustainability Plan is a working document, the Sustainability Committee will take an “adaptive management” approach to creating and implementing this plan. This will entail modifying this Sustainability Plan as needed in order to align the actions of the Sustainability Committee with the Sustainability Goals set out herein. 6. Volvo Ocean Race Newport Stopover Sustainability Vision Demonstrating environmental responsibility, on land and at sea. Newport is tied to the ocean and the sailors it brings to its fabled ports. The Sustainability Committee aims to maximize the resources this island can provide while educating and engaging spectators about the impact they too can have on the island and its surrounding waters. 8 7. Volvo Ocean Race Newport Stopover Event Themes and Goals The following event themes have been identified to provide focus for event delivery organizations, aimed at minimizing potential negative impacts and maximizing the legacy benefits of the Newport Stopover activities. Most issues identified in each theme crossover to one or more event themes. 1. Resource Efficiency Goal: Ensure “Good Waste Management” practices such as recycling and composting are used, while also providing support for low-­‐waste drinking water solutions for participants, spectators and race management officials. 2. Education & Outreach Goal: Provide clear and consistent signage for all waste receptacles in addition to educating participants, spectators, and race management officials about basic concepts in sustainability and environmental awareness. Goal: Ensure the Newport Stopover sustainability efforts are highlighted and serve as a teaching opportunity for participants, spectators, and race management officials. 3. Climate & Energy Goal: Limit greenhouse gas emissions through sustainable transportation initiatives and efficient event management protocols. 4. Marine Environment Goal: Protect and support biodiversity, habitats, and wildlife in and around the waters and islands of Narragansett Bay. 9 Resource Efficiency Ensure “Good Waste Management” practices such as recycling and composting, while also providing support for sustainable drinking water solutions for participants, spectators and race management officials. The Resource Efficiency theme focuses on how waste, compost and recyclables will be handled in addition to providing strategies to mitigate excess waste from being created during the event. The Newport Stopover recognizes that the quality of Narragansett Bay directly impacts the quality of the sailing. With this said, every attempt to minimize the amount of trash that is sent to the landfill will be made by race management officials. Decreasing the amount of waste sent to the landfill at the Newport Stopover will be one of the most visible components of the Sustainability Committee. To effectively achieve Good Waste Management practices, the Sustainability Committee will work closely with Russell Morin Catering along with all the sponsors to mitigate different waste streams by selecting compostable and recyclable catering service ware. a. Good Waste Management i. Ensure that all solid waste and recyclable materials generated at the Newport Stopover will be properly disposed of and/or recycled. ii. Provide for collection and delivery of segregated recyclable materials to a recycling facility through an onsite hauler. iii. Ensure that all vendors, staff and attendees know where recyclables and solid waste need to be deposited when discarded. iv. Conduct a Waste Audit to determine what kind of waste is being generated by participants v. Ban the use of all polystyrene products. vi. Provide the City of Newport with the weight of recycled materials diverted from the landfill to a recycling facility. b. Recycling and Composting i. Ensure that all Waste bins have Recycle and Compost bins placed side-­‐by-­‐side to them. ii. Provide an equal number of Waste, Recycle, and Compost bins to give all attendees, sponsors, and participants the option to responsibly dispose of all materials into the correct bin. iii. Monitor and collect all cardboard so that it is disposed of properly. iv. Ensure that all dinnerware is recyclable or compostable. v. Ban all straws from Fort Adams during the event’s entirety. c. Drinking Water i. Require all Volvo Ocean Race participants to use reusable water bottles. ii. Recommend and encourage all attendees to bring a reusable water bottle. 10 iii. Prohibit the sale of all single-­‐use water bottles at Fort Adams State Park during the event’s entirety. iv. Provide an adequate number of Water Refill Stations on site for attendees to refill their water bottle with municipal tap water. v. Include information about Water Refill Stations in relevant materials. d. Paper i. Use paper that is at least 50% post-­‐consumer recycled product. Education and Outreach Provide clear and consistent signage for all waste receptacles in addition to educating participants, spectators, and race management officials about basic concepts in sustainability and environmental awareness. AND Ensure the Newport Stopover sustainability efforts are highlighted and serve as a teaching opportunity for participants, spectators, and race management officials. Numerous trained volunteers will be needed to help with recycling, compost and waste bins. In high traffic areas, the Committee recommends one volunteer be stationed at each collection area to help educate people what can be recycled or composted. Due to the nature of this work, volunteers should be identified with a different t-­‐shirt or hat than other volunteers. The efforts and accomplishments of the Sustainability Committee will be showcased in a display housed in the Education Zone (see Venue Map). The Newport Stopover will also leverage marketing material and other opportunities to further educate participants, spectators, and race management officials on the sustainability initiatives integrated into the stopover. a. Consistent Signage i. Ensure that clear, consistent signage is visible above every Waste, Recycle and Compost bin. 1. If any service ware (such as cups) can be composted, make significant strides to educate attendees of this fact to avoid contamination between recycling and composting bins (e.g., attaching a compostable cup to relevant signage, placing additional bin for cups, etc.) ii. Ensure that all Waste, Recycle, and Compost signs are created so that they can be reused for future events. b. Sustainability Outreach 11 i. Educate attendees about alternative forms of energy such as wind power, solar power, biodiesel, etc. ii. Outreach to hotels on Aquidneck Island about basic sustainability principles such as recycling. iii. Educate attendees about Sustainability, such as: 1. What can and cannot be recycled/composted: a. Through clear, consistent signage at all Landfill, Recycle, and Compost bins. b. Sustainability Booth. 2. Implementation of sustainable initiatives. a. Through website, press releases, etc. b. Through the Sustainability Booth. 3. Efforts that can be made in the home or office by attendees. iv. Educate attendees about stormwater runoff. v. Create Legacy Project for the stopover (examples could include a rain garden, tree plantings, or other forms of green infrastructure, etc.) c. “Leave No Trace” Protocol i. Implement a large-­‐scale cleanup around Fort Adams State Park to ensure that the park is left cleaner than before the event. Climate and Energy Limit greenhouse gas emissions through sustainable transportation initiatives and efficient event management protocols. The Climate and Energy theme focuses on strategies that address air quality and emissions, energy use and transportation. In particular, the Sustainability Committee recognizes that climate change and ocean acidification are two threats to ocean health that must be taken into account when planning for the Newport Stopover. To help manage emissions, the Committee recommends that all greenhouse gas emissions sources be accounted for in an inventory and classified as owned, shared or associated. The Sustainability Committee will work with the Stopover Host to draw clear boundaries around those emissions that the Stopover Host is responsible for. There is little historical data available currently to determine what the emissions for an event of this size will emit, however the best available methods for determining these emissions will be used. Owned: event activities that are solely funded by or under the operational control of the Race Organizers and its affiliates and contractors. Examples include construction of facility improvement, event logistics, and temporary energy use during the Newport Stopover. Shared: event activities that are jointly funded and are a direct consequence of hosting the event, but control is shared by various partner entities. Examples include the activities from sponsors onsite. 12 Associated: event activities such as transportation to and from Fort Adams State Park that are a consequence of the event, but which are not controlled or funded by Race Organizers and its affiliates and contractors. The Race Organizers can exert some influence over these activities to spectators. With regard to transportation, one of the main complaints by spectators included traffic bottlenecks both in the parking areas and on the water taxi/ferry docks. Better pre-­‐event publicity about transportation arrangements, particularly for those with mobility-­‐limiting disabilities would be an improvement.3 For the Newport Stopover, it will be imperative to communicate to spectators about the need for alternative forms of transportation to limit traffic bottlenecks. a. Energy i. Optimize use of energy and minimize associated air emissions through efficient planning and technological innovation. ii. Purchase clean/renewable energy credits for all energy used at the event, possibly through People’s Power and Light. iii. Use a B20 blend of biodiesel in any diesel generators or equipment used onsite at Fort Adams. iv. Develop a partnership with an accredited carbon offset organization (i.e. Green Mountain Energy) to create an innovative carbon compensation program to mitigate effects of any emissions created during the event’s duration. b. Transportation Recognizing that automotive transportation represents nearly one third of the United States’ total carbon emissions4 while also considering Newport’s extremely limited routes to Fort Adams State Park, the Sustainability Committee recommends that the Race Organizers: i. Promote all alternatives to driving in individual vehicles on website and through social media. ii. Encourage bicycling as a preferred method of transportation by providing secure bike racks and wayfinding resources to attendees. iii. Develop partnership with RIPTA and local water shuttles to facilitate public transportation alternatives. iv. Charge for all car parking. v. Encourage hybrid cars by providing a small discount. Marine Environment 3 Large Marine Events Benefits Assessment Modeling Report, prepared by Planning Decisions, Inc. and Charles Colgan, Ph.D., University of Southern Maine, 2013 4 http://www.epa.gov/otaq/climate/documents/420f13033a.pdf 13 Protect and support biodiversity, habitats, and wildlife in and around the waters and islands of Narragansett Bay. Narragansett Bay is a thriving ecosystem, home to diverse marine life and a buzzing recreational landscape. In an effort to minimize the environmental impacts of the Newport Stopover, the Sustainability Plan leverages strategies that not only protect the marine environment, but also enhance the environmental conditions around the race site. Lessons learned from the 2012 America’s Cup World Series event suggest that there will be numerous boats on the harbor spectating the event. While race organizers and the Sustainability Committee cannot control these marine spectators, efforts should be made on the Newport Stopover website to alert these boats to sustainable boating practices, such as avoiding discharge, using pump-­‐out boats, and encouraging “water-­‐only washdowns” at the end of the day. Also, in case of an accidental large oil spill caused directly or indirectly by the Volvo Ocean Race Newport Stopover, the Sustainability Committee also recommends having an emergency Oil Spill Prevention Plan on site to mitigate the impacts. a. On Water Practices i.
Ensure that all motorized race committee/support boats are equipped with ONE bilge sponge and ONE fueling spill pad. ii.
Ensure that all motorized race committee/support boats that are not donated from private owners use a copper-­‐free bottom paint. iii.
Create “Safe Refueling Areas” and ensure proper training to all staff. iv.
Coordinate with nearby marinas to have an emergency plan ready in case of a large oil spill emergency. v.
Coordinate with pump out services to ensure that all spectator boats are aware of their existence. Remind spectator boats that any holding tank discharge into Newport Harbor is illegal. vi.
Eliminate two-­‐stroke engines and only use more fuel-­‐efficient four-­‐stroke engines. vii. Attempt to use fuel-­‐efficient rigid inflatable boats (RIBs) instead of fiberglass for any race committee/support boats whenever possible. viii. Eliminate the use of harmful cleaning products by VOR participants during on-­‐the-­‐
water activities. ix. Encourage a “Water Only Washdown” protocol for all VOR participants during on-­‐the-­‐
water activities. x.
Ensure that all maintenance (fairing/sanding) be contained and collected. xi.
Ensure that all cleaning products used by vendors, sponsors, participants and attendees are nontoxic, biodegradable and phosphate-­‐free. 14