To raise awareness of climate challenges, share ideas and make new connections, SailGP, the global sailing league, has initiated the Champions for Change (C4C) forum. Cognizant is the official Digital Transformation Partner of the sports organization, supporting data visualization and helping to deliver a digital fan experience for the 257 million SailGP viewers.
When the Cognizant team arrived at the quay in Aarhus, we spotted a large number of mini catamarans flying by on foils. SailGP engages with each of their host cities to spread the joy of sailing to girls and boys (50/50) – the next generation of climate advocates.
While this sport is fascinating in itself, there is a clear indication of a deeper purpose for the organization: to make an impact for clean energy and inclusion. SailGP has chosen to take a role as an advocate for action, because they see an opportunity in sharing within their passionate sports community. Most likely, more people follow sports than read science magazines.
The recent report from the UN (you can find the IPCC report here) about climate change is highlighting major challenges that face us all. The size of the necessary changes cannot be solved in isolation, therefore, SailGP has chosen to invest in facilitating the forum Champions for Change, C4C.
I was honored to be invited to the first ever C4C event. The purpose of it is to crack the code through idea exchange within a strong network. The SailGP team had put together an excellent agenda with speakers from different parts of the Danish community and the EU. These are the highlights that will inspire us in our continuous work:
SailGP is also the first carbon-neutral championship, and its goal is to be fully “Powered By Nature” by 2025. All in all, the C4C event was truly inspiring, and I will definitely infuse some of the key learnings in my future work. We need to reverse and not leave a fossil-fueled society to the next generation.
If you’re curious to learn about Cognizant’s own ideas when it comes to sustainability, check out our latest ESG report or read this article on Digital sustainability. It is time to move from change to action!