Personal Blog of Ellen MacArthur

There was a really fantastic atmosphere in Plymouth for the start of the Artemis Transat. It was the fourth start that I’ve been at since I began my career in sailing, and, I have to say, definitely the most vibrant for the public. Sutton Harbour was absolutely buzzing with people of all ages, wandering through the rows of French market stalls, and looking out across the water to the huge colourful boats sitting in their starting blocks ready to take on the Atlantic.

I really enjoyed talking to people, and hearing their comments as they looked out over the boats. The weather was great, which led to a very relaxed atmosphere amongst the teams getting the boats ready for the race, and the bars and restaurants by the water were packed all week.

I was also visited by a lady who’s been a fan for a long time called Barbara Tilston. She came down to the docks to present me with three beautiful paintings which she had painted of Mobi (the tri I took round the world). Thanks, Barbara!

On the start day itself, I spent sometime with our sponsors BT – talking to them about just what it would be like on the first night at sea for the sailors, and about how they will be setting sail onto a 2-week non-stop conveyor belt.

I then stepped into my naval uniform (I am a Lieutenant Commander of the Royal Naval Reserve) to join HMS Argyll who held her position at one end of the start line. The view from the upper deck was fantastic, the race boats slipped away in the light afternoon breeze. The difference for the sailors between a start where the wind is howling through the rigging and a start with light winds is really huge. I have started races in a force 6 to 7 before, and waking on the start day to the noise of a storm makes your stomach churn. There are enough nerves as it is trying to take an IMOCA 60 race boat over the start line, let alone in a gale…

Ellen

The sun shone for the opening of E.ON’s new building up in Coventry on the 8th May. E.ON are one of our sponsors with whom I am doing work on sustainability within their own company, and with their business customers. 

It was great to see such a wide range of people from the B2B part of the business with a very positive outlook on driving change forward. There were several speeches made for the thousands of staff who work in the building, and as I went round the foyer afterwards visiting stands representing the various business units, it was great to hear the enthusiastic feedback and find out about the practical things - like sharing cars to get to work - that they are doing in order to really make a difference.  

As Jim McDonald, Commercial Director, said in his speech, now that everyone involved in dealing with clients is based in the same building, it is going to be much easier not only to deliver a better service to the client, but to do so in a more sustainable way too. I really believe that simply ‘being joined up’ is important in dealing with sustainability issues, and being able to offer advice to businesses.

Ellen

Last week I attended the Institute of Directors Conference at the Royal Albert Hall. It was a really interesting event with a truly outstanding array of speakers including international business leaders and entrepreneurs. Guest speakers included Bob Geldof, Prime Minister Gordon Brown, David Cameron, Dame Fiona Reynolds, CEO of the National Trust, BA’s Willie Walsh and actor/director Kevin Spacey who all gave inspirational leadership messages for the 3,000 delegates.

It was fascinating to see that sustainability was one of the main themes throughout the conference and the fact that we need to move towards working, and of course, living in a more sustainable way. People weren’t talking merely about business, but about the basic building blocks of life, they were stirring emotions with their speeches and making people think. Yes, it was a conference for Directors of Businesses, but there was a real theme of ‘doing the right thing’ which I found both surprising and refreshing.

I was lucky enough to be given the opportunity to speak to business leaders about my own passion to tackle sustainability. I was wondering just how to address such an audience full of CEO’s and influential people, and I drew to the conclusion that ‘stories work’ so decided to tell a few stories from my life which I feel have taught me a lot. From the absolute necessity of managing your resources at sea, to talking about my first hand experiences of seeing the old abandoned whaling stations and the mis-management of resources on the island of South Georgia in the Southern Ocean. Ultimately, what had been a flourishing whaling industry on South Georgia became unsustainable as whales were killed in such large numbers that the population disappeared completely. The lesson from this is that it is only sensible that all businesses become sustainable as the very meaning of the word ‘sustainable’ implies that the business can continue to exist.

We all have a stake in the planet on which we live, and it’s time for employers to give their staff a stake in energy efficiency measures they’re being asked to implement. If a business is to be sustainable, keeping and motivating its employees is a key element of that. Employers and employees must work together as a team to share the dream of the future of the business so that everyone is an integral part of it and takes responsibility for their own management of resources.

Ellen