Wellington International Revolutionizing Sustainability In Horse Sport
Wellington International recently announced a partnership with Megan Fellows of Carbon Hoofprint to oversee a newly created focus on sustainability at the Winter Equestrian Festival. Together they will develop a shared vision to transform the world-class facility and organization into an industry leader in environmental initiatives.
This collaboration and renewed focus on sustainability will support Wellington International’s goal of setting a higher standard by taking the experience for athletes and spectators to new heights as one of the most sustainable and purpose-driven equestrian venues in the world. Wellington International’s partnership with Fellows, a sustainability expert and lifelong equestrian athlete, will allow her to work hand-in-hand with the WEF’s teams and leadership to examine the current operations of the organization and together develop a sustainability strategy for the show to lead the equestrian world in environmental impact.
“We’re excited to be the first show to take major strides in the industry to truly make sustainability a top business priority,” said Michael Stone, President of Wellington International. “As a team and as a community, we care about our impact and know that as a leader in esports, we have a duty to facilitate these kinds of changes so that we are resilient and live up to the highest standards and levels of integrity of our sport and community. “
The Fellows’ previous roles, having worked for globally recognized environmental brands National Geographic and Greentown Labs, the world’s largest climate technology start-up incubator, have built a strong foundation and passion for sustainability which they enthusiastically share at Wellington International and will bring in the larger equestrian community.
“Sustainability for a unique organization like Wellington International is not an easy task and I am delighted to have the opportunity to combine my experience in sustainability work with my passion for horses in a place that means so much to me and that I believe that he has a lot of potential to do good,” Fellows said. “For me it goes beyond what we can do at Wellington International and extends to who we can inspire to go out and do more for the world. It is an opportunity to make real change.”
Alongside energy, water and waste priorities, one of the most innovative ongoing projects is manure processing, which would convert hundreds of thousands of tons of horse waste into natural gas or hydrogen, a project that would be the first of its kind in North America.
“I have been very pleased to work with Wellington International, whose team has already worked so diligently and collaboratively to find solutions, and I admire their commitment to making big changes,” said Fellows. “Not just the fluffy stuff, but real variety. If we can make it at Wellington International, the best known and most prestigious equestrian venue in the world, we should be able to pave the way to setting new standards everywhere.”
As part of the initiative, Fellows will use the 2023 season to conduct a comprehensive review and reach out to the community for further support and input.