In Brief:

• The Class 40 World Championships will be hosted by the City of Plymouth this summer, immediately following the Rolex Fastnet Race.
• An expected 20 visiting teams from 9 nations will compete over a four day series of inshore and coastal races.
• The public will be able to visit the fleet and also watch the yacht’s parade in front of Plymouth Hoe on Sunday 18 August.

Sport Environment (26.03.13) is pleased to announce that the Class 40 World Championships will be hosted in the City of Plymouth from the 17-20 August.  The four day Championship will be organised by the Royal Western Yacht Club of England as the event authority, with an expected 20 international teams from nine nations due to compete at the event.

Twenty Class 40 teams have already pre-registered for the Rolex Fastnet Race and are due to arrive in Plymouth from the 15 August. The teams will have a couple of days break before starting an intense series of inshore and coastal races to decide the overall Class 40 World Champion.

The public is invited to come and see the fleet parade in front of Plymouth Hoe on Sunday 18 August before they set off for the start of the coastal race. In the evenings there will be a series of event functions for the visiting teams to enjoy some of the local hospitality.

François Angoulvant, Class40 President:
“We are delighted to be welcomed by Plymouth for this fifth edition of the Class40 Worlds. The timing is perfect and we hope we can build a partnership with the RWYC to come back regularly for the Worlds. The Class40 fleet knows the area quite well as it comes here every two years for the Rolex Fastnet Race and was also here in 2008 for The Transat. We expect many Class40 skippers, from all over Europe and the US, to gather on this great event.”

John Lewis, Commodore of the Royal Western Yacht Club:
“The RWYC is delighted to be the host club for this prestigious World Championship particularly as it has formed a close relationship with the class during our last two oceanic events. I extend a warm welcome to all the competitors and wish them every success on the water.”

Gonzale Botin, Class 40 World Champion 2012:
“Tales Santander 2014” will be there to defend its title and it will not be easy as the standard goes up each year since the first World Championships in 2009. Our new boat hasn’t been built for windward-leeward races that we can expect during the Worlds, but more for offshore races. This is the case for most third generation boats. Whatever happens, the show is guaranteed!”

For more information about the Class 40 World Championships, please go to www.class40worlds.com.

Ecover extends sponsorship of the Blue Mile and announces new partnership with the Marine Conservation Society

In Brief:

• Ecover extends their headline sponsorship of the Blue Mile for a further two years, as the Marine Conservation Society becomes the new official charity partner.
• Inspiring a new generation of sea champions, the Ecover Blue Mile aims to encourage more young people to get active for our seas, shores and wildlife.

Sport Environment, (12:03:13) is delighted to announce that Ecover, the innovative ecological cleaning products company, has extended its headline sponsorship of the Ecover Blue Mile for a further two years. The event which was created by triple round the world sailor and ocean advocate, Conrad Humphreys aims to encourage more people to get active in support of our marine environment.The news follows last week’s announcement that Ecover is to incorporate a percentage of reclaimed sea plastic into its packaging and to communicate their message in a bottle via major art and cultural events such as Glastonbury Festival and the Royal Hampton Court Flower Show.The Ecover Blue Mile will support the Marine Conservation Society (MCS) as its new official charity partner. MCS is the UK’s leading charity for the protection of our seas, shores and wildlife, and champions the need for marine wildlife protection, sustainable fisheries and clean seas and beaches.The partnership with MCS aims to encourage people across the UK to connect with their local beach and waterway by doing a sponsored mile either in or next to water, in return for support from family and friends. We want to inspire a new generation of sea champions who enjoy getting active in support of our seas and would like to take on the challenge of paddling, swimming or even zorbing a blue mile for MCS.How to Take Part
1.    Sign up to the Ecover Blue Mile flagship event on the 14^th-15^th September 2013.
2.    Organise your own Blue Mile or ask your local club to get involved.
3.    Take part in our Ecover Schools Blue Mile Challenge 2013Rudy De Vis, Sales and Marketing Manager, Ecover:
“At Ecover we are passionate about raising awareness of the importance of looking after our seas and are very proud to be continuing our sponsorship of the Ecover Blue Mile. All of our products are made from natural, sustainable plant-based ingredients, ensuring they respect aquatic life and we wholeheartedly support the work the Marine Conservation Society are doing to protect our water environment.”Andy Bool, Head of Fundraising MCS:
“The Marine Conservation Society are delighted to be the new Official Charity Partner of the Ecover Blue Mile. Being a part of the Blue Mile will help to raise much needed funds to protect our seas, shores and wildlife. We also want to encourage people to volunteer and take part in practical MCS initiatives such as Sea Champions, Beachwatch and Wildlife Sightings. This is a big commitment from Ecover and the Blue Mile team to bring about a better future for our seas and wildlife and we’re excited about involving many hundreds of active people in helping to protect the beautiful sea playground that we all share.”

Conrad Humphreys, Sport Environment:
“We are thrilled that Ecover have agreed to extend their generous support of the Ecover Blue Mile and that we are joined today by the Marine Conservation Society as our new official charity partner. We want people to get outside and immerse themselves in our natural world and do more to look after our seas and wildlife.”

For more information about the Ecover Blue Mile, please visit www.thebluemile.org.

Writer, television presenter and Marine Biologist, Monty Halls delivered a fascinating talk at this year’s Blue Lecture. Speaking about his early career as a former Royal Marine, he left the marines at 29 to pursue his passion for the oceans and studied Marine Biology at Plymouth University. The audience were enthralled to hear his stories about scratching Mantas and his encounters with Great White sharks off South Africa. More recently, Monty presented a factual programme called the Fisherman’s Apprentice where he undertook and trained for 8 months as a small boat fisherman operating out of Cadwick, in Cornwall. Monty’s shared some great insights into the the state of the UK’s fishing industry and the crucial balance that must be struck between both conservationists and fisherman to preserve an industry that is in deep decline.

The Blue Lecture aims to bring together some remarkable innovators and creative thinkers who will share their ideas and spark a discussion about the value our oceans have on society.

For more information about the Blue Lecture please contact thebluelecture@sportenvironment.com

The Ecover Blue Mile took center stage on the opening weekend of the inaugural Marine City Festival. Plymouth’s waterfront looked stunning in the blazing sunshine as hundreds of people took to the water to swim and paddle a mile for the environment. Thousands of people visited the Ecover Blue Mile event village to watch friends and family take part in the challenging one mile course which started from the historical Mayflower Steps.

Members of the public also got a rare opportunity to see four Olympic Champions in action as Tim Baillie and Etienne Stott raced against double gold medalist and WWF Ambassador, Andrew Triggs-Hodge MBE in the Fatyak Kayak race, whilst Plymouth’s very own Ruta Meilutyte, gold medallist in the 100m breaststroke, joined her team mates from Plymouth Leander Swimming Club in the open water swim.

On Saturday evening over 150 guests enjoyed a special fundraising dinner put on by The Boathouse Café, which was fitting as the team had earlier won the Corporate Team Challenge. Ocean rower, Sarah Outen MBE was the guest speaker and she left the audience enthralled by not only her courage, but also her connection with the ocean. WWF organised a silent auction, with top prizes being a signed Fatyak Kafuu kayak and a year’s supply of Ecover cleaning products. The dinner raised £1500 to support the work that WWF are doing to protect our rivers and oceans.

Event organisers, Sport Environment were thrilled with the public’s response to the event. This was the second time the event has been held in Plymouth and the conditions were absolutely perfect. Conrad Humphreys, Managing Director at Sport Environment said, “What a fantastic weekend of sporting entertainment combined with raising money for a great cause. It was lovely to be back in Plymouth this year and we are delighted with the turnout.”

Clare Allman, Head of Marketing at Ecover said “The Ecover Blue Mile in Plymouth exceeded our expectations, participation and engagement were high and the event space created a lot of positive connections and buzz.”

Patrick Laine, Director Corporate Partnerships, WWF said “The Ecover Blue Mile event in Plymouth was a great success. The participation of Olympic Champions and a transoceanic rower was inspirational, but equally notable was their genuine and enthusiastic support for increasing the protection of our precious rivers and oceans. Events like the Ecover Blue Mile highlight just how important these water resources are for people and planet.”

Etienne Stott, Olympic Champion Canoe Slalom C2 said, “I really enjoyed the stand-up paddling and I was pleasantly surprised to be so good at it. I managed to stay upright for most of it and came third, with Tim winning the race – but got even later in the day though by winning the kayaking event! It was lovely to experience the beautiful sea too. Thanks to WWF, Ecover and Fatyak for putting on the event, I hope it carries on to be so successful in the future.”

In total 270 people took part in the Ecover Blue Mile Plymouth event to swim, kayak or stand-up paddle a mile. Later this week, 400 school children will take to the water and paddle their own mile in the Schools Blue Mile Challenge.

It’s not too late to organise a Blue Mile event in your local waterway, so why not complete your own blue mile? It’s easy to take part – simply walk, run, swim, kayak or row a mile for WWF! For more information and to register visit thebluemile.org.

Andrew Triggs-Hodge MBE, double gold medallist as part of the coxless fours rowing team, joined Tim Baillie and Etienne Stott, gold medallist in the Canoe Slalom C2 and Ruta Meilutyte, gold medallist in the 100m breaststroke, at the Ecover Blue Mile flagship event in Plymouth this weekend.

The Ecover Blue Mile challenge is asking people across the nation to complete a mile on, or near, water anytime this summer.  All the funds raised from this fantastic event will go to WWF’s work safeguarding our marine and freshwater habitats in the UK and around the world.

The athletes hoped their presence would raise awareness about the need to protect the world’s precious water resources.  Andy said, “I’m very excited to be paddling at the Ecover Blue Mile this afternoon.  There’s a great atmosphere here at the Mayflower Steps, with lots of people supporting participants from the sidelines.  This fantastic event is raising awareness about the need to protect our precious water resources and raising vital funds for WWF’s work safeguarding our marine and freshwater habitats in the UK and around the world.”

“Etienne said, “We’ve had a great day in the sunshine and looking forward to doing our blue mile in kayaks and stand-up paddle boards later today!  WWF’s doing great work protecting our water resources.”

Tim said “I’m really happy to be here in sunny Plymouth for the Ecover Blue Mile.  It’s a really fun event for a good cause.  I’m excited to try stand-up paddling later, and then race in a Fatyak Kayak in the Kayak wave.”

In total, more than 250 people have taken part in the Ecover Blue Mile flagship event to swim, kayak or stand-up paddle a mile – with hundreds more supporting from the side lines at Plymouth waterfront and enjoying the food and entertainment on offer in the Event Village throughout the day.  Among them was the Lord Mayor of Plymouth, who officially launched the Marine City Festival and procession at 1pm, including a lively Samba band, who gave the event a buoyant carnival atmosphere.

It’s not too late to join in with this year’s Ecover Blue Mile event, so why not complete your own blue mile?  It’s easy to take part – simply walk, run, swim, kayak or row a mile for WWF!  For more information check out the Ecover Blue Mile website.

This was my second Beyond Sport Summit, last year as a finalist in the Best Sport for the Environment category we enjoyed the delights of Cape Town, a city where both sport and the natural world are firmly intertwined. With only 8 months passing between each Summit and the global economy still firmly entrenched in a downturn it would be easy to think that progress beyond sport might have been slowed, but the evidence of the last few days showed that the movement is growing at pace with more programmes, partners and sponsors delivering inspirational projects across all corners of the globe.

Nick Keller (@beyondnick), Alex and the core team who have created this movement have every reason to be proud of the momentum and legacy it is delivering. Legacy is an often much over used word in the context of sport, but in little over three years Beyond Sport has real momentum and in its own unique way is shining a light on real projects that are doing some remarkable work on the ground, particularly at grass roots level. It’s achievement in such a short space of time warrants greater recognition and support from world governing bodies, who should take note at the way it has galvanised different stakeholders. At a time when the spotlight is on LOCOG and the shear magnitude of the IOC’s commercial profits, its a good time to look closely at how the excess’s of sport are redistributed back into society’s greatest needs.

In the week that the London 2012 Olympic Games commences, the Beyond Sport Summit 2012 will take place in London, starting today (Monday 23rd July), with a packed three day programme of discussion panels, networking opportunities and action led working sessions designed to celebrate, promote and drive forward sport led social change in this iconic sporting year.

As a finalist at the Beyond Sport Awards and Summit in 2011, The Blue Project has benefited from an award nominee package and the support of the Beyond Sport network over the past 10 months.  Blue is honoured to be invited back to attend and take part at the Beyond Sport Summit again this year and to host a site visit for delegates- the Thames21 Blue Mile.

The Thames21 Blue Mile will take place today, Monday 23rd July, the opening day of the Beyond Sport Summit and will give delegates the opportunity to complete a Blue Mile as part of the Olympic Legacy Project “The Big Waterways Clean Up 2012”, by canoeing down the Lee Navigation Canal in the Olympic Borough of Hackney, cleaning up the waterway as they go.

Founding Ambassador, Conrad Humphreys will also take part in the Sustainability Round Table on Tuesday 24th July, hosted by the Green Sports Alliance and BASIS, and facilitated by former Olympic Synchronised Swimmer, Jill Savery.

The Blue Project is among 250 global organisations attending the prestigious Beyond Sport Summit 2012 and confirmed speakers include sporting legends such as Michael Johnson, Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson, Ian Thorpe and also the Chairman of Beyond Sport and former Prime Minister of Great Britain, The Rt. Hon Tony Blair.

The Beyond Sport Summit 2012 is the place where sport, development and business industries get together to network, learn and be inspired at an event unlike any other being held around the Olympic Games.

For more information about the Beyond Sport Summit 2012, please visit www.beyondsport.org.

The Festival aims to raise awareness, nationally and internationally, of Plymouth’s role as a leading UK marine city, for research, leisure, heritage and food. As well as attracting local residents, families and visitors to the City to enjoy a range of fabulous events and activities, the Festival will also challenge and encourage key thinkers, academics, environmentalists, writers and others to debate one of the hottest topics around – the future sustainability of our seas and oceans.

The Festival will combine world-leading scientific debate on the future of our oceans with a varied and exciting range of marine related events and activities.

Throughout the week the Festival will play host to a varied programme of family events and activities based around the Waterfront organised by the Plymouth Waterfront Partnership and cultural events, performances and exhibitions supported by the Plymouth Culture Board and partners.

Duncan Currall, Chairman of Destination Plymouth, said: “Last year’s America’s Cup World Series highlighted just how well Plymouth can put on a world class event – centred on our unique maritime location but also encompassing wider opportunities to attract visitors and investors.

“The Plymouth Marine City Festival brings together all that is best in Plymouth, from our unique coastal environment to the city’s marine enterprise and research strengths and our growing reputation for great food.

“The result is a programme that caters to a broad audience, which will attract visitors and investors and which can become a nationally significant recurring festival that will allow the city to make the claim that Plymouth is the UK’s Marine City.”

So, why would WWF spend valuable time and resources trying to make sport green? Well, our thinking goes something like this…

Firstly, the Olympic Games are said to be the largest peacetime events in the world. So-called mega sporting events like the Olympics or the FIFA World Cup have also become enormous regeneration projects, as the aspirations of the host cities go far beyond just putting on some sport.

The construction of venues and infrastructure and the impact of the event itself is very significant and cutting this footprint (less concrete, fewer flights, greener hamburgers etc…) looked like a prize worth chasing. But, in my view, the bigger opportunity lay in creating and securing a sustainable legacy from the Games. Can we ensure that the athletes’ villagebecomes thousands of green homes after the Games? Can we secure new and lasting investment in sustainable transport and energy infrastructure? Can we get Olympic sponsors to up their game for the Games and demonstrate best green practice?

Our analysis, with footprinting experts Best Foot Forward showed that if theOlympic Park could become a new green quarter for London and an inspiring sustainability blueprint, then these longer term benefits to the environment and sustainable living could quickly outweigh the negative impacts of building and hosting the Games.

OK, so what’s the greatest sports stadium on earth?

The second part of our thinking is a little harder to articulate – so here’s a one-minute video clip to help set the scene…

There is circumstantial evidence of a strong emotional connection with the natural world for many people who enjoy participating in sport outdoors – cyclists, sailors, rowers, climbers and so on. Very often these sporty types (whether amateur enthusiasts or elite professionals) want to help protect the environments they know and love.

But with some notable exceptions (often linked to particular sports, egSurfers Against Sewage or the Blue Project), this sport-environment connection is not being well made or turned into action on the ground.

I’m really interested in the way sport, and in particular the excitement around London 2012, can be used to get new audiences taking action for the planet. Can sport help us to inspire more people to take action by reaching them through something they love doing?

I think this is the area where London 2012 has been less successful, so far. We’ll come back to that issue in future editions of this blog, and also introduce some guest bloggers to give their perspectives in the run-up to the Games.

In the meantime, you can help spread the connections by sharing this blog http://www.wwf.org.uk/wwf_articles.cfm?5822

(You can follow Simon on Twitter too – @SiKlone)

This year’s new flagship Blue Mile event was held in London. With so much going on with Olympic test events, venues have been difficult to source, but we managed to secure a new venue in north London, just a few miles from the Olympic Park. Stoke Newington West Reservoir is used as Watersports centre and was the site of a new eco-regeneration programme. It is a small, but intimate venue with great facilities and suited our needs well for the first London event.

Check out the video to see the Blue Mile in action on the 4th September. http://vimeo.com/28992403

Back down the M4 to Plymouth and the 2nd America’s Cup World Series Event which took place from the 10th-18th September. We set up an exhibition for the Blue Climate and Oceans Project as part of the America’s Cup sustainability programme, with the goal to encourage as many people as possible to sign up to make a Blue Pledge for the environment.  We also ran a competition for a family of four to win tickets for next year’s Blue Mile event which was very popular.

It was great to spend some time with Craig Thompson, CEO of America’s Cup Event Authority (ACEA) to discuss the value of sport as a tool for greater public engagement with our blue environment. There is a lot to be done here and the AC seems very focused on its ocean advocacy activity. The sustainability forum which took place early in the event was interesting and it was fantastic to be part of the panel alongside Dr. Sylvia Earle, who is one of our greatest ocean heroes and a real champion of the blue environment.

Check out the America’s Cup youtube channel to see the highlights of the ACWS Plymouth http://www.youtube.com/user/AmericasCup

So, we now turn our attention to the Beyond Sports Awards which take place in Cape Town in early December. We have a wonderful opportunity to take our foundation, Blue Environment on the next part of its journey with our Blue Ambassadors leading the way. I’m delighted to be able to announce shortly our new Board team that will shape its mission over the next few years.

Check out Blue Ambassador, Dave Cornthwaite record breaking 2404 mile Mississippi SUP journey http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dOtdOSxRavw

Conrad Humphreys