On Feb. 7, 2005, Ellen MacArthur’s sailing prowess peaked, as she broke the world record for the fastest solo circumnavigation of the Earth.
After speeding through the sea for 71 days, surviving only on limited rations of food, water, medicine and fuel, she was suddenly struck by the reality of what it meant to live with finite resources.
“Never before in life had I translated that word ‘finite’ to anything outside of sailing until I stepped off that boat at the finish line,” MacArthur said during a 2015 TED Talk. “Suddenly I connected the dots. Our global economy is no different.”