Driving environmental change
Founded by the 11th Duke of Richmond in 1998 , the Goodwood Revival has since become synonymous with vintage glamour and the world ’ s most beautiful motorcars . In his last year as general manager , Henry Bass tells Access how the event has been steered firmly toward a more sustainable future .
Words : Christopher Barrett
Sustainability was a major focus at Goodwood this year
Car boot sales , allotments , bicycles and rewilding may not be the first things that spring to mind when considering Goodwood Motor Circuit and its hugely popular motor racing events , but for Goodwood Revival GM Henry Bass and his team they have become a major focus this year .
The three-day Goodwood Revival celebrates motorsport between 1948 and 1966 , and each year sees around
150,000 attendees don period dress and descend on the West Sussex site as it echoes to the roar of stunning vintage vehicles competing on its 2.4 mile racetrack .
Uneconomical vintage vehicles are hardly synonymous with environmental sustainability , but Bass is keen to emphasise the event celebrates re-use and the treasuring and maintenance of pre-existing equipment and materials .
He says that while the event ’ s theme is backward-looking , in many ways it is embracing the modern world – not least the move away from single-use items and a focus on reducing the consumption of new products .
“ We see the event as an opportunity to encourage and inspire visitors to be more environmentally conscious by immersing them in this whole mindset of revive and thrive .”
“ There has been a significant step change with the event and its focus in recent years , the phrase ‘ Revive and Thrive ’ is now at the heart of everything we ’ re thinking about ,” says Bass . “ What we mean by that is that Revival is a celebration of sustainability as it was between 1948 and 1966 , when people carefully looked after the items they owned . Back then there wasn ’ t the consumerism and throwaway culture that exists now . With Revival we want to remind people of that culture and encourage similar behaviour .
“ The whole event is about celebrating the fact that the old racing cars have been restored and rebuilt thousands of times in their lives , while also celebrating the vintage fashion and the fact that everyone comes wearing clothes that have been handed down through generations .”
With the aim of encouraging people to repair things that may have broken rather than throwing them away , and to invest in quality craftsmanship rather than items with built-in obsolescence , Bass helped oversee the introduction of a number of new sustainability initiatives at Goodwood Revival this year .
They included a new Make Do
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