Jan Pachner, YCCS Secretary General, opened proceedings by speaking with the participants about the importance of preserving the marine environment and on how much difference even the smallest daily gesture can make towards saving our oceans.

In an age of rising sea temperatures and sea levels, sailors and coastal communities are concerned about our impact on the marine environment.

On top of having an impact on humans, the world’s oceans also have an economic impact. The value of the blue economy is estimated to be between 2.5 and 3 trillion US dollars, equal to 4 to 5 percent of the GNP of the entire planet.

With this in mind, the Asian startup MINIWIZ has decided to take advantage of the opportunities offered by the blue economy to create a mobile recycling lab where plastics trash can be transformed into new objects.

After their clean-up day the YCCS Sailing School kids went to the MINIWIZ pop up store at the Promenade du Port to recycle the plastic that they had gathered and give it “new life”, thanks to the mobile lab.