2 October 2020, London: Extreme E, the revolutionary new electric off-road racing series, has confirmed an additional Legacy Programme in one of its race locations, Lac Rose, Senegal, tied to improving sustainable practices in the local community.
Extreme E, GroupeSenghor (GS) – an organisation that addresses community needs while preserving the environment – and Extreme E’s Senegal Legacy Partner to.org, are proud to announce the EcoZone Project, a livinglab that addresses the communities primary needs while preserving the environment through experiential learning, regenerative agriculture and circular economy specifically in Lac Rose, an area that was once a tourist hotspot, but is now home to a community facing many challenges.
Alejandro Agag, Founder and CEO of Extreme E, said: “Extreme E is delighted to be able to support these sorts of projects that provide such a vital lifeline to communities detrimentally impacted by environmental challenges.
“Lac Rose in Senegal is one of our race locations in 2021 and we are looking to leave a long-lasting positive legacy, which is why we are working with communities to empower them long-term to create a full-circle of change. I’m really looking forward to going to Senegal next year and getting involved in these projects.”
Together, GS, to.org, and Extreme E aim to raise awareness of climate issues by engaging local people to create a healthy environment, and in turn build a sustainable community by providing guidance, information and tools to empower. The EcoZone project aims to establish hubs of inspiration and actions for the whole community.
The community itself is in Niaga, around 30 kilometres from Dakar and is home to 12,388 people. The area and its inhabitants face a variety of issues, which lead to economic vulnerability.
The three key areas of the project are community outreach, resource conservation and economic empowerment through a variety of initiatives that create a circular economy, allowing communities to become self-sufficient from both a living and economic perspective.
The specific projects are as follows:
- Experiential learning at local schools to make them the hub for sustainable action and community cohesion
- Regenerative agriculture for productive land usage
- Tree planting activities to help tackle climate change while increasing greener and healthier living
- Eco-construction by using EcoBriques and local creativity to enhance and beautify their neighbourhoods
Nachson Mimran, Co-founder and CEO of to.org said: “At to.org we support individuals and organisations whose mission it is to heal the world, an ethos perfectly exemplified by this partnership with Extreme E and GS on the EcoZone Project.”
Vera Diop, Project Coordinator at To.org added: “It is a privilege to be able to partner with Extreme E to bring a new and exciting sporting event to Senegal and to partner with GS to bring important projects, like EcoZone, for the benefit of Senegalese people.”
Louisa Tholstrup, Explorer, Science and Legacy Manager at Extreme E concluded: “We are incredibly proud to be supporting the community of Lac Rose and their beautiful environment through the EcoZone project, which has been conceived by a hugely inspiring Senegalese entrepreneur, Stephan Senghor, with proven success of community projects across his homeland of Senegal and other countries throughout Africa. Stephan and Vera’s vision to empower local communities to protect and sustainably develop their neighbourhood will ensure long lasting impact and future progress of the project, with the hope of replicating EcoZone’s in other communities across Africa.”
Beyond Lac Rose, The Ecozone Project will spread to Dakar through “the Ecobrique Challenge”, where communities will be challenged to contribute in resolving the urban waste issue by producing ecobriques (PET bottles filled up with dry and non recyclable waste, mainly post consumer plastics) which will divert over 40 tonnes of waste from the landfill by engaging communities in ecological waste management practices and eco construction.
This follows the announcement that Extreme E will plant one million mangrove trees in Senegal with Senagalese NGO Oceanium.
Extreme E starts racing in early 2021 and will visit five locations all negatively impacted by climate change and environmental issues. Whilst there, the series will leave a long-lasting positive impact through a variety of Legacy Programmes, which have been developed in association with local communities and the championship’s Scientific Committee.
To learn more about Extreme E, visit – www.Extreme-E.com
About Extreme E:
Extreme E is a radical new racing series, which will see electric SUVs competing in extreme environments around the world which have already been damaged or affected by climate and environmental issues. The five-race global voyage highlights the impact of climate change and human interference in some of the world’s most remote locations and promotes the adoption of electric vehicles to help preserve the environment and protect the planet.
To minimise local impact, Extreme E races will not be open to spectators, with fans instead invited to follow the action through live TV broadcast, and on social media.
The St. Helena, a former passenger cargo ship, has undergone a multi-million Euro refit to minimise emissions and transform her into Extreme E’s operations hub, a move which is estimated to lower carbon output by two thirds in comparison to air freight. It will be used to transport the championship’s freight and infrastructure, including vehicles, to the nearest port, minimising Extreme E’s footprint as well as being used to facilitate scientific research through an on-board laboratory.
Extreme E is also pioneering hydrogen fuel cell technology which will enable its race fleet to be charged using zero emission energy. This innovative solution from AFC Energy uses water and sun to generate hydrogen power. Not only will this process emit no greenhouse emissions, its only by-product will be water, which will be utilised elsewhere on-site.
About To.org: Senegal Legacy Partner
To.org is committed to healing the world by accelerating Earth’s most vital ventures. Founded by Nachson and Arieh Mimran, the organization operates through a hybrid model of ventures and philanthropy, built around the fundamental belief that in order to heal the world we must take a creative approach.
The to.org mission is achieved in three distinct ways: 1) Ventures – investing to accelerate Earth’s most vital ventures; 2) Create – amplifying Earth’s most vital ideas; 3) Foundation – supporting individuals and organizations working to heal people and planet.
Projects to.org has been involved with include the TOGETHER FUND, #TOGETHERBAND, Vollebak, mPharma, and Sokowatch.
For more information please visit https://to.org
About Continental Tyres: Founding Partner and Official Tyre Partner
Continental develops pioneering technologies and services for sustainable and connected mobility of people and their goods. Founded in 1871, the technology company offers safe, efficient, intelligent, and affordable solutions for vehicles, machines, traffic and transportation. In 2019, Continental generated sales of €44.5 billion and currently employs more than 230,000 people in 59 countries and markets.
The Tyres business area has 24 production and development locations worldwide. Continental is one of the leading tyre manufacturers with more than 56,000 employees and posted sales of €11.7 billion in 2019 in this business area. Continental ranks among the technology leaders in tyre production and offers a broad product range for passenger cars, commercial and special-purpose vehicles as well as two-wheelers. Through continuous investment in research and development, Continental makes a major contribution to safe, cost-effective and ecologically efficient mobility. The portfolio of the Tyres business area includes services for the tyre trade and fleet applications, as well as digital management systems for tyres.
About CBMM: Founding Supplier
CBMM is the world leading supplier of niobium products and technology. Headquartered in Brazil, with offices and subsidiaries in China, Netherlands, Singapore, Switzerland and the United States, CBMM offers technical innovation to customers around the globe through a team of over 2,000 highly trained, dedicated professionals providing cutting-edge niobium products and technology to over 300 customers in 50 countries.
About LuisaViaRoma:
Established in 1929, LuisaViaRoma has been an online luxury destination since 1999. In 2019, LuisaViaRoma celebrated the company’s 90th anniversary, as well as the 20th anniversary of its online business.
