Day after day, our planet is undergoing more and more changes; changes, however, that are not positive and, one day, could lead to a point of no return. The whole world nowadays is aware of these facts, yet many choose to disregard them for their own gain, and most of the time, it is the people who could change things the most, who decide to look the other way.
But such is not the case for Sebastian Vettel. The now former Formula One driver has, unlike many, chosen to face reality. Aware of the situation our planet finds itself in, he has decided to change his life, his habits and assume a more sustainable lifestyle. “Obviously, traveling the world, running around in cars and burning resources, literally, are things that I cannot look away from. Once you see these things and are aware of them, I don’t think you can really stop seeing them. When it comes to the climate crisis, there is no way F1 or any other sport or company can avoid it, because it impacts all of us,” these are his words, when asked in an interview what his thoughts were on the impact of his sport on our planet.
Vettel’s commitment, however, is also to use his great popularity to talk about these issues. Trying, through his platform, to educate his fans and encourage them to live more sustainably.
And what better way to talk about the respect for our planet than through Bees; the insect that most is synonymous with sustainability and biodiversity. Being part of Frutura’s BioBienenApfel social project, which was created precisely to create habitats for bees, Vettel decided to put himself to work and, involving locals schoolchildren, installed a bee hotel near the track, where, a few days earlier one of the F1 races had been held. “This morning was very exciting because I was out close to the track on a field, and we installed a racing car – but a very unconventional racing car because it is a hotel for insects and bees” these are Sebastian’s words to the media after the day spent with the bees. It was the champion’s idea to build this hotel and to involve children in order to bring them closer to the topic of species protection.
But the story does not end here, on his return to Austria for the 2022 Grand Prix, the pilot visited the hotel designed and installed by himself and was met with a pleasant surprise. “It is fully booked!” was the pilot’s announcement to his fans. So, the beautiful initiative not only served to get people talking about this issue, but also actually helped local bees find a place to rest and shelter.