Libby and Robert Alexander didn’t always consider themselves environmentalists. Introduced to sailing by their respective parents, they passed similar skills and values to their own children during weekends on Long Island Sound spent cruising and racing as a family. The Alexander family discovered a profound connection between sailing and environmental stewardship through their involvement in sailing education programs for the next generation. They realized that caring for the water is fundamental to the very essence of sailing.
“When you teach kids how to sail, it’s not just about the wind and the sails,” Libby said, “but also reading the water, knowing about the tide and currents. Racing also involves rules that inform how we conduct ourselves on the water with the sports corinthian heritage closely defined by sportsmanship, integrity, fair play, and a commitment to doing the right thing even when no one is looking.”
Libby and Robert both remember growing up on Long Island Sound when the waters were very polluted. Their parents instilled them with similar values of community, taking responsibility and encouragement to act when things need fixing.
That philosophy has shaped the Alexanders’ partnership with Save the Sound. Around 2008, they underwrote a pilot program with the Junior Sailing Association (JSA) of Long Island Sound to integrate environmental education as a critical learning opportunity for young sailors. In this program, which has recently been renewed and improved, interns teach young sailing students why water quality is important, and the students sign a pledge to be good stewards of the water.
Supporting the JSA program expanded the Alexanders’ vision. “It led us to the idea that there are lots of other people who enjoy outdoor recreation on Long Island Sound who might also be willing to support the work and programs of Save the Sound if they knew more about them,” said Libby. Over the years, the Alexanders deepened the impact of their support, from growing membership and marketing to advising on strategy and program development. For several years, Robert provided critical leadership through Save the Sound’s Soundkeeper Task Force. Libby served on the board and currently volunteers as Chair of the Sound Future Campaign Committee.
A very generous donation from the Alexander Family is empowering Save the Sound to move forward with ecological restoration, climate resilience, and advocacy, benefiting the Long Island Sound estuary for future generations. Their gift funded the creation of the Alexander Center for Ecological Action at Save the Sound, bringing together Ecological Restoration and the Doherty Climate and Resilience Institute to build a healthier future for the Long Island Sound region through innovation and leadership. The Alexander Center’s focus is hands-on action and effecting real change, with a concentration on how to make things better in the Long Island Sound region today. The Alexanders are motivated to give in ways that they know will have a true and visible impact.
In addition to supporting Save the Sound, the Alexander family helps many local NGOs and has supported the establishment of Louisiana’s first community sailing center, Community Sailing New Orleans, in honor of the place where they spent time together when they first met. They want to ensure that learning and recreation on the water is open to all communities and that inclusivity and economic diversity are a greater part of youth sailing access and education.
Through the example of their leadership and philanthropy the Alexanders remind us that caring for Long Island Sound is not just an act of preservation, it’s a continuation of a way of life that has connected generations and regional communities that are defined by its geography. The Alexanders believe that sailing is both a way of life and a model for how to better steward our environment. “There are values of responsibility and respect that are inherent to boating and the environment we do that in. You can’t take the water for granted. You rely on it, but it’s not something that belongs to you. It’s something you interact with that is so much bigger than anyone can fathom. For us as both sailors and boaters, it provides us with immense meaning, connection, and joy.”