Sustainability spotlight - Q&A with Yago Lange

Earlier this year, Argentine Olympic sailor Yago Lange made history by becoming the first person in history to foil in front of the Perito Moreno Glacier to highlight the effects of climate change.

Yago, a member of World Sailing’s Sustainability Commission, works with Parley Argentina – part of the Parley Global Clean-up Network – and has committed to protect marine environments around the world. He has visited schools, joined clean-up projects and is now looking at how sailing can play an important role in keeping the oceans clean.

What does sustainability mean to you?

I am very interested educating myself towards sustainability. It gives me the opportunity to connect with nature and the oceans. It’s a process I am enjoying and I have learned a lot already.

How did you get interested in sustainability?

It all started with the first beach clean-up I organised back in December 2018 – since then I have committed myself to making a personal change in my habits and sharing it with the community.

Now, I feel there was a lot of great learning I received when I was a child by being able to spend time in the water and in nature, and during my holidays with my family. It’s all connected and I am happy to keep learning about it.

What are you most proud of in terms of your work on sustainability?

I am really proud of all the clean-ups we’ve organised as well the movement we have created within the Olympic Sailing community. During the pandemic, I was able to give environmental talks in schools to more than 16,000 kids. Education is key, so I am very, very proud of that achievement.

And lately I am proud of the Patagonia expeditions where we are learning more about marine ecosystems and sharing what we learn during the trips to improve the environment.

What has been the most difficult challenge that you have overcome?

The biggest challenge so far is dealing mentally with the aftermath of clean-ups – witnessing the extent of plastic pollution in our oceans and entering the ecosystem. It is hard to explain, but I’ve even started dreaming about trash and sometimes all I can think about are the environmental problems I see around us.

I share my feelings with my family and friends and that helps. I’ve also decided to spend more time in nature and in the ocean – for the energy that gives. Nowadays, I try to balance my work facing environmental problems with activities I enjoy a lot, such as wing foiling or sailing in amazing wild places.

What would be your advice to those in sailing or anyone who wants to help?

I feel as a sailing community we have a huge opportunity to collaborate to improve our oceans and save our playground. We spend a lot of time in the water and we should be responsible for protecting it, as well as educating others about how important the oceans are.

I feel it’s great that we are sharing an international message about the problems the oceans are facing, but I feel we can do much more with our local communities and sailing clubs dealing directly with the problems we have. This local movement needs to become a global movement.