Windsurfing opened a lot of doors for me and I had the chance to see amazing places over the years. On the other side, it is obvious that we face a lot of problems caused by environmental issues such as climate change and ocean pollution. I have seen glaciers melting down in Alaska and experienced the consequences of ocean pollution during an Atlantic expedition. I travel more than most people though and I use equipment made out of plastic and other toxic materials but I would like to improve the world and have a positive impact. How does that fit together? It’s an ambiguous situation, I try to live by certain ethical principles, while facing the facts of reality. Should I stop travelling, even though it is part of my job? How can I stand for something if I am part of the problem? I came to the conclusion that I am far from living a sustainable life, but I still have a choice to try my best to change my daily routine and reduce my carbon footprint in many ways. I avoid using plastic wherever I can and look for opportunities to help to raise awareness on how to protect the ocean.
We are about to face difficulties if we don’t change our behavior; it is like going full speed on a highway without any brakes, knowing that sooner or later we are about to hit a big concrete wall. How could that happen? Did we lose the respect for what surrounds us, the air that we breathe? Can’t we see the beauty and most importantly, the overwhelming power of nature any more?
I think we have to be aware of our own personal power. Everyone can make decisions that have a positive or negative impact and together we are the world’s most powerful force to effect change. We as humans are causing these problems and we are the only ones that can find solutions.