Envision Racing driver Sebastien Buemi was a special guest panellist at the Sports Positive Summit on Wednesday, as he contributed to a panel discussion titled, ‘How athletes are engaging authentically on climate’.  

Sport Positive Summit is the leading global summit that brings together sports stakeholders from all over the world to support the acceleration of positive climate action and ambition, to safeguard the future of global sport. 

Buemi joined two female athletes on the panel; Innes Fitzgerald, the teenage cross-country runner who earned widespread media attention for declining the opportunity to compete at the world championships in Australia this year due to carbon footprint concerns, and Kate Strong, the world record-breaking cyclist, to discuss the motivations behind speaking on climate change as successful and influential athletes and how sporting organisations can do more to support them.

The panel, moderated by Melissa Wilson, co-founder of Athletes of the World, also gave Buemi an opportunity to talk about the evolution of Formula E cars and how his sport and his team are driving progress.

“When Formula E first started, we had to switch cars as they weren’t able to do the full race,” he said.

“The objective was to have one car which would last the full distance and make it faster, which was a difficult target, but we are achieving that now … electric cars are the way forward.” 

He also spoke about how Envision Racing gained Three-Star Sustainability Accreditation from the FIA, the highest possible award, and why being able to participate in climate events such as the Sports Positive Summit was so important to him.

“I care about the planet, I care about my kids’ futures… people need to understand that climate change is happening and we need to do everything we can to try and reverse it and improve everyone’s lives,” he added.

In his day-to-day life, Sebastien drives his family in an electric car which he says was an easy decision to make: “I’ve been driving an electric car for the last four or five years. It’s extremely convenient to charge it at home, it’s safe, fast and all of my family love it. It was a straightforward decision.”  

He’s also encouraging his children to recycle correctly and raises them in a home which is run on solar power, while also “teaching them to use the correct bins and why, it is a simple thing to do but is a step in the right direction”. 

Back in July, ahead of the season-ending London E-Prix that saw Envision Racing crowned Formula E world champions, Buemi featured on BBC’s The One Show which saw the reveal of the Recover E car – a full size Gen3 race car made entirely out of electronic waste to highlight the issues of e-waste.

The initiative, along with other climate drives and involvement in global events like the Sports Positive Summit, are among the many ways Envision Racing and its drivers help raise awareness and involvement in the race against climate change.

We are delighted to be able to announce the three winners of our recent Recover E competition!

Earlier this year, Envision Racing tasked youngsters from around the world with creating their own replica Formula E car, except with one twist – the design had to be made entirely out of electronic waste!

As artist and designer Liam Hopkins (aka ‘Lazerian’) created a full-size, functioning car that wowed audiences at the London E-Prix last month, thousands of kids aged between nine and 21 from all around the world were also putting their skills to the test.

UNEP Ambassador Aidan Gallagher was among the final judging panel for the competition, which named winners in three categories: 6-11 years old, 12-16 years old, and 17-21 years old.

On Wednesday the winners were formally announced on social media, in conjunction with our partners Cartoon Network.

 

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See a little more about the three winning entries below!

Children aged 9 to 11 years
WINNERS: Abbott Community Primary School, Manchester

Children aged 12 to 16 years
WINNER: Angelica Mirian Monteor Popocatl

Young people aged 17 to 21 years
WINNER: Hera May Cabuga

The children from Abbott Community Primary School were the overall winners of the competition, as they received their prize bundle during the recent Race Against Climate Change Live – being surprised on stage by Sky Sports presenter David Garrido.

Congratulations to all our winners! The competition is now closed for entries – but children of all ages can still use all the materials available on our micro-site to build their own model Formula E car.

You can also learn more about the full-size Recover E car here.

Inspiring talks highlight the power of environmental activism across the generations at Envision Racing’s Race Against Climate Change event in London.

There may be more than seven decades between them in age, but appearing at Envision’s RACC London event last month world-renowned ethologist and conservationist Dr Jane Goodall DBE and actor, musician and UN Environment Goodwill Programme Ambassador, Aidan Gallagher showed that passion, positivity and a powerful connection with your audience are some of the key elements that unite environmental activists across the generations. 

They were speaking as part of a line up of high-profile guests from the world of sport, science, entertainment, policy and business at the Science Museum as part of the latest in Envision’s series of Race Against Climate Change events, which was also broadcast to a live global audience in partnership with New Scientist. 

Dr Goodall, founder of the Jane Goodall Institute and UN Messenger of Peace, spoke of her journey from scientist to activist and the importance of hope in the face of such huge global challenges.

“I truly believe that we’ve got a window of time to make change, but it’s closing,” Dr. Goodall said.

“If people lose hope, if you don’t believe what you’re doing is going to make a difference then why bother? I say no, you can do something in your community, get a group of people together and do what you’re passionate about.”

She also gave examples of how her work with young people via her Roots and Shoots education programme, running in more than 60 countries, has helped create a stronger connection between school children who might otherwise have no real interaction with nature, and the natural world around them.

This connection, she stated, is vital in motivating the younger generations to play an active role in the fight against climate change and the biodiversity crisis. 

Aidan Gallagher, who at just 14 became the youngest UN Goodwill Ambassador ever designated within the UN System, agreed with the importance of reaching out to children and young people with a message of hope and empowerment. He told his personal story of how he first became concerned about the environment when he was just nine years old, growing up in LA.

“I wanted to go surfing one weekend when it rained, and my dad said we couldn’t go because of all the pollution from the land that washed into the ocean,” Gallagher said.

“It seemed like a really massive thing to me, and then came the curiosity side of things.”

This curiosity and his search to find answers to some of the environmental problems he noticed around him was something Aidan began to share with his significant online fanbase.

“I got into social media and started getting information,” he said.

“I began to get a following on social media and it was a natural pivot to share and repost information that we get from experts to show it to as many people as possible.”

Both Dr Goodall and Aidan reminded the audience of the growing urgency in taking action to tackle the climate crisis and demonstrated that everyone, no matter what their age or circumstance, can be a part of this collective action. 

Aidan Gallagher was one of the keynote speakers at the recent Race Against Climate Change Live event, held at London’s Science Musuem.

Gallagher, an activist and UNEP Ambassador, sat down with Sky Sports’ David Garrido to discuss a wide range of sustainability topics, including what motivated him to take an interest in the topic, how he uses his platform to raise awareness around key issues, and even the methods he uses to deal with climate anxiety.

You can watch the full fireside chat below, or on our YouTube channel!

To learn more about the Race Against Climate Change and to make a climate pledge, click here.

On the eve of the London E-Prix last week, Envision Racing hosted the latest in its series of Race Against Climate Change Live events at the Science Museum in London in partnership with New Scientist and the UK Government.

The event brought together a prestigious line up of global experts from business, sport, policy, entertainment, science and technology to share insights on the urgent next steps needed within electric mobility and the critical role of circularity in making this a sustainable transition.

Hosted by Sky Sports presenter, David Garrido, the opening address was given by renowned climate scientist, Ed Hawkins, Professor of Climate Science at the University of Reading. Professor Hawkins outlined the latest science on global warming and stressed the urgency of action to address climate change stating that every delay in our action, every non-action we take means that we end up in a hotter world.

“When we reach net zero, we will have to live with the consequences of that warmer world for generations,” Hawkins said.

“Temperatures will not decline. They will stay hot and we will live in that warmer climate for generations.”

The first of the two panel discussions asked how we can accelerate the transition towards sustainable transport systems and was moderated by EV expert and founder of Electric Vehicles Outlook, Roger Atkins.

He was joined by guest speakers Kristen Siemen, Chief Sustainability Officer at General Motors, Lee McDonough, Director General, Net Zero, Nuclear and International at the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, Evan Horetsky, Chief Development Officer at AESC and Fiona Howarth, CEO of Octopus Electric Vehicles, who discussed the latest developments in EV battery technology and the challenges we face in reaching global Net Zero targets for transportation.

This panel was followed by an inspiring interview with Dr Jane Goodall DBE, world-renowned ethologist and conservationist, founder of the Jane Goodall Institute and UN Messenger of Peace. In it she shared her views on the vital role young people can play in shaping a more sustainable future, the importance of hope in the face of such huge global challenges, and what continues to inspire her to campaign so passionately around the climate and biodiversity crisis.

“I truly believe that we’ve got a window of time to make change, but it’s closing,” Dr Goodall said. “If people lose hope, if you don’t believe what you’re doing is going to make a difference then why bother? I say no, you can do something in your community, get a group of people together and do what you’re passionate about.”

After a brief presentation of prizes to the fantastic young winners of Envision’s Recover E ‘Waste to Race’ competition, Graham Lawton, writer and columnist at New Scientist moderated a panel discussion that focused on the growing issue of electronic waste and the potential to adopt a more circular approach to the EV transition.

Speaking on this topic were Matt Manning, Head of Circular Economy at BT Group, Carlo Ratti – Director of the Senseable City Lab at MIT, Dr Maria Neira – Director of environment, climate change and health at the World Health Organisation and Monika Oomen – Vice President of Brand, Communications and Digital Content Strategy for Warner Bros.

The event was closed with an interview with actor, musician and a UN Environment Goodwill Programme Ambassador, Aidan Gallagher, who talked passionately about his journey to becoming an environmental ambassador and his commitment to sharing this message with his young global fanbase.

“I wanted to go surfing one weekend when it rained, and my dad said we couldn’t go because of all the pollution from the land that washed into the ocean. It seemed like a really massive thing to me, and then came the curiosity side of things,” Gallagher said.

“I got into social media and started getting information. I began to get a following on social media and it was a natural pivot to share and repost information that we get from experts to show it to as many people as possible.”

The event was preceded by a zero-emission vehicle breakfast reception hosted by the UK Government and Accelerating to Zero Coalition for speakers and invited guests, and was broadcast to a global audience in partnership with New Scientist.

The event can be viewed in full here or on demand at https://envision-racing.com/event/racc-live-2023/#register-event

Formula E team Envision Racing has revealed its full-size, drivable Formula E Gen3 ‘Recover-E’ car made entirely out of electronic waste (e-waste) at the ExCeL in London on the eve of the capital’s e-prix race. 

Annual e-waste production is on track to reach a staggering 75 million tonnes by 20301, with the UK generating the second largest amount of e-waste as a country in 2022. Items thrown away include disposable vapes, mobile phones, laptops, MP3 players, plug and batteries themselves.

The growing phenomenon of single-use vapes means 1.3 million of them are thrown away every week in the UK.

To highlight this urgent issue, Envision Racing partnered with British artist and designer Liam Hopkins to design and build the car entirely of donated electronic products by the UK tech business, Music Magpie and school children. Through this campaign, the team wants to increase awareness of the human impact of e-waste and the need to reuse and recycle old electrical products.

Hopkins said, “Unfortunately today we choose to discard and replace electronics instead of repairing and recycling them leading to a global e-waste crisis. Through design and creativity, we want to show the issue of e-waste and its potential to accelerate the creation of a circular economy.”

The car was unveiled at London’s ExCeL Centre, on the eve of the London E-Prix – the final race of the 2022/23 Formula E season. In addition to being the all-time leading points scorer in Formula E, Envision Racing also has a leadership position for sustainability.

Its pioneering Race Against Climate Change™ programme aims to inspire and empower fans and the wider public to take climate action.

Through Formula E’s platform, Envision Racing exists to make electric mobility and renewable energy a global reality.

Sylvain Filippi, Envision Racing’s Managing Director and CTO said, “Alongside testing new battery technology for cars, we are on a mission to tackle e-waste and ensure the precious metals, minerals and materials in old laptops, mobile phones and other electrical devices are extracted and reused.

“If the millions upon millions of Lithium batteries that are found in vapes and other products are recycled, it will dramatically reduce both the need for rare earth mineral mining and the large energy needed to create the batteries from scratch. We want to increase awareness of e-waste and help build a ‘circular economy’ where electrical products are reused or recycled, not thrown away.”

Alongside the car, Envision Racing launched the Recover E Waste to Race competition, to engage young people and fans around the world. Children and young people were invited to create their own e-waste car, made out of recycled electronic materials.

Winners in three categories included 10 year olds Edie Griffin, Chidubem Ngene, Liam Mount, Nora Popoola and Olivia Ho from Abbott Community Primary School in Manchester, Monteor Popocatl Angelica Mirian, 14 years old from Mexico, and Hera May, 17 years old from the Philippines.

You can find more information about Envision Racing’s Race Against Climate Change and the Recover E campaign here.