Emirates GBR SailGP Team launches outdoor education initiative powered by nature
by Emirates GBR SailGP Team 5 Jun 10:48 BST
OutSeed Hub - a refurbished 20ft shipping container transformed into a solar-powered outdoor learning and community classroom © OutSeed / 1851 Trust
The Emirates Great Britain SailGP Team, sustainability venture OutSeed and STEM and climate education charity the 1851 Trust, with sponsorship from Low Carbon, have launched a national competition giving schools and other education providers the chance to win the first OutSeed Hub - a refurbished 20ft shipping container transformed into a solar-powered outdoor learning and community classroom.
The OutSeed Hub will be powered by the same solar panels that Emirates GBR used to take their team base off-grid at SailGP events around the world. In 2023, the team worked with Low Carbon to create a first-of-its-kind portable renewable energy installation that consisted of 28 solar panels and two micro wind turbines that created enough energy to power Emirates GBR's base at events, and also help power other teams. With a new team base set-up at SailGP events, Emirates GBR now have surplus solar panels and has collaborated with OutSeed, the 1851 Trust and Low Carbon to ensure they have a second-life and are able to support with the provision of STEM and climate education.
The OutSeed Hub will provide a year-round outdoor learning space. The hub will feature a living wall, biodiversity sensors, and a live dashboard that will track data on pollinators, air quality, weather and bird activity - giving young people the tools to do real environmental science in their own grounds.
Research conducted by OutSeed confirmed a clear demand for outdoor learning spaces with each school contacted citing a need for a facility of this kind. This aligns with wider evidence, conducted by Outdoor Play and Learning, on the benefits of outdoor play supporting children's physical, social and cognitive development.
The winner of the first OutSeed Hub has the potential to inspire children for many years to come. The long-term ambition of OutSeed is to deliver a UK-wide network of OutSeed Hubs that double as live biodiversity data points, monitoring key environmental indicators across the country.
The competition to win the first OutSeed Hub is now open, and closes on 25 June 2026. Entries can be submitted at www.stemcrew.org/outseed-competition
Recognising that brilliant outdoor learning happens well beyond traditional classrooms, the competition is open to state primary and secondary schools, forest schools, scout and guide groups, and outdoor community education centres across the UK.
Entrants need to register for free at STEMCrew.org and submit why their setting needs the hub and what they would do with it.
Sir Ben Ainslie, CEO of Emirates GBR, said: "Our portable renewable energy installation has provided us with incredible results, being able to take our team base off-grid at SailGP events and also help power other teams. Now, we want to spread that positive impact further. Sending them to a school will leave a legacy of practical STEM and climate education for years to come. We want every young person in the UK to grow up understanding clean energy, biodiversity and the world around them. The OutSeed Hub puts the science straight into their hands."
Roy Bedlow, Founder and Chief Executive of Low Carbon, said: "Powering tomorrow isn't only about building the clean energy infrastructure the country needs - it is about the future generations who will live and work alongside it. Infrastructure companies, large brands, and the data centres that increasingly shape our economy are all members of the communities they operate within. OutSeed gives us a meaningful, measurable way to bring those companies and communities together. Sponsoring the first hub, powered by the panels that ran Emirates GBR's team base, is exactly the kind of partnership we want to see more of."
Jo Grindley, CEO of the 1851 Trust, said: "The OutSeed Hub is exactly what climate education should look like, real science, in the real world, powered by clean energy. Young people don't just need to learn about climate change. They need to see it, understand it and feel empowered to take action. This competition puts that opportunity directly in the hands of schools and education spaces across the UK and we hope it will be the start of a long-term legacy to inspire children for years to come"