All this week Plymouth Sutton MP Linda Gilroy is  hosting an exhibition of The BLUE® Climate and Oceans Project in the Houses of Parliament.

The BLUE® Climate and Oceans Project is the brainchild of Plymouth-based round-the-word yachtsman Conrad Humphreys.

BLUE® seeks to encourage young people to engage with the environment through the mediums of sport, film and digital media. The core objective is to use the popularity of sport, embodied by BLUE® Ambassadors - charismatic role models for environmental concern - to mobilise people, especially young people, into taking action to reduce our effect on the world’s climate and oceans.

Environment Secretary Hilary Benn officially opened the exhibition on Monday 14 July 2008.  There followed a launch reception in which Parliamentarians had a  chance to meet and discuss the project with Conrad Humphreys, together with BLUE®  Ambassadors Rob Gauntlet and James Hooper, the youngest Britons to climb Mount Everest, and world record Free Diver, Sara Campbell. Olympics Minister Tessa Jowell popped in to hear about their adventures.

Linda Gilroy said “I’m delighted to have the chance to showcase The BLUE Climate and Oceans Project in Parliament.  This exhibition couldn’t come at a more appropriate time as both the Climate Change Bill and the draft Marine Bill are currently working their way through the legislative process. Both have the potential to be ground breaking – and both have particular importance to Plymouth. I am especially pleased that Hilary Benn has agreed to open the exhibition. It will be a chance for him to learn about another important part of Plymouth’s dynamic and exciting marine sector first hand”.

Conrad Humphreys said "Our vision for BLUE is a community that actively cares about sustaining our water environments. We plan to harness the popularity of sport and activities that showcase our water environments, to inspire people to be active in reducing their effect on both our climate and our oceans."

(NB The exhibition will run in the Upper Waiting Hall of the House of Commons from Monday 14 July to Thursday 17 July and is open to all Parliamentary pass holders.  It is not open to members of the public except those attending parliament for meetings in the committee corridor).

Above: Linda Gilroy, Conrad Humphreys and Hilary Benn.

Above: Linda Gilroy makes her Blue Pledge - not to drink bottled water in the UK.

The BLUE® Climate and Oceans Project

The BLUE® Climate and Oceans Project encourages young people to engage with the environment through the mediums of sport, film and digital media. The core objective is to use the popularity of sport, embodied in our BLUE® ambassadors - charismatic role models for environmental concern - to mobilise people, especially young people, into taking action to reduce our effect on the world’s climate and oceans.

The exhibition will take place in the Upper Waiting Hall at the House of Commons and will feature four displays that link sport, film and digital media with the environment.

• BLUE® Ambassadors, Rob Gauntlet and James Hooper who became the youngest Britons to climb Mount Everest and who recently completed their epic expedition from the North to South magnetic Poles man-powered, will be attending the launch event. They will show images and content from their latest trip, designed to inspire young people to care about the environment.

• The BLUE® Immersion Theatre, a future technology project led by the University of Plymouth and Sport Environment allows participants to share the exhilaration of the world experienced by the BLUE® ambassadors by projecting the digital imagery they capture within a hemispherical screen. The imagery is blended with other live images, and simulations from scientific data, leading to a shared understanding of human impact on the oceans and atmosphere.

• BLUE® Communities are both digital and physical spaces for young people to be active in creating and sharing their own climate and oceans projects. This includes a new enviro-education project called BLUE® Schools which will be piloted in schools across south west England.

• The BLUE® Mile is a mass participation event designed to bring together our coastal communities in the UK on a huge scale to celebrate our natural resources. Inspired by the need to leave a wide-spread environmental legacy from the Olympic and Paralympic Games, it is hoped that this event will be part of the Cultural Olympiad in 2012.

15 July 2008