David Bass is taking the jumps season by storm winning 18 races in November but he is also committed to helping improve the environment; He says through being a vegan he has become more aware of how everyone can play their part in changing the environment for the better
Monday 14 December 2020 10:34, UK
David Bass has made an impressive start to the jumps season, riding 18 winners in November including two Group Two victories.
Last week he was named jockey of the month but he has other things on his mind too.
He has become a vegan, and Bass told Sky Sports News he changed his lifestyle primarily for environmental reasons.
"I've tried a few different diets but nothing as serious as this. I went from being a full-on meat eater to a vegan," Bass said.
"My main reasons were the environment. I actually educated myself on what's going on with the climate and diet, and I made the decision to try it and hopefully along with that, the health benefits would come as well. So that's what prompted me to do it.
"It's hard to say if it has made me a better jockey but has it made me healthier, sharper, possibly fitter? Has it helped me recover more quickly from injuries, falls? I think so.
"Racing has done a lot to try and help jockeys with education on nutrition. Obviously, I think we could do a lot more yet, I don't want to go preaching and telling other jockeys to be vegan. I can only look at myself and say that I feel it's helped me on being knowledgeable about what I'm eating.
"I've never looked at food labelling as much, I've never been so conscious about where the food has been produced, I think that's a good thing.
"I obviously do care about the environment and in my job I'm lucky enough to work outdoors and I can see what I think are the effects of climate change.
"Quite simply I think that climate change is real. We've all got a responsibility to try and reduce carbon emissions but I'm very conscious of not preaching to people. The way I put it it's about education and about hopefully trying to make better choices that will be beneficial for the environment.
"I'm called a hypocrite every day. I accept that I wear leather boots, I have leather saddles, I drive a diesel car but I hope in the next couple of years to move to an electric vehicle.
"I think we have to start by trying to make small changes. If you care about the environment and you believe that climate change is real which I obviously do, I want to start with small changes. I think some people can get a little bit too heavy on being a hypocrite which would then maybe stop them from making a small change.
"So I would say to people if we can all make a small change we might be able to make a bigger difference."
Sky Sports are making changes too. The production of Anthony Joshua's world title defence against Kubrat Pulev received a 3-star albert certification - albert is an industry-backed group which has recognised the steps we've taken towards reducing our carbon footprint.
The achievement is part of Sky Sport's Season of Sustainability, a commitment from the broadcaster to reduce the environmental impact of its sports productions and work with industry partners to create change.
For the fight, for example, Sky Sports reduced the number of production staff at Wembley. Sustainable working practices like this are all part of Sky Zero - our 10-year plan to be net carbon zero by 2030.
