Let’s Celebrate Earth Day and Keep Protecting Our Waters

What we do at UltraSwim 33.3 to minimise our environmental impact

Earth day is not just a date in the calendar, it is a reminder that meaningful environmental change is done through consistent, everyday decisions. For us, this means looking closely at how our events operate and what we can do to minimise our environmental impact. This is something at the very heart of UltraSwim 33.3.

Skopelos Island

Here are seven actions we take at UltraSwim 33.3 to make a positive impact:

1. ELIMINATE SINGLE USE PLASTIC

Reusable cups at our feedstation, #5Montenegro

Single-use plastics remain one of the most visible and harmful forms of pollution, especially in oceans and waterways. At our events, we have not only swapped single use plastics with reusables but also try and reduce the amount of reusable plastic. We don’t like to buy new, so our materials such as signage, cups, kit boxes, are reused across our events. We work hard with our parters to reduce packaging, our partner Precision Fuel & Hydration also prioritise being a sustainable, eco-friendly brand. They have worked hard to reduce the size of the packaging on their gels and provide us with reusable cups for our feed stations.

2. MEASURE AND OFFSET CARBON EMISSIONS

#9Greece from above

We believe that you can’t reduce what you don’t measure. That’s why we track emissions generated by our events, from travel and logistics to energy use. We use our partner bloomUp to measure our footprint and help us with strategies to make our event the most sustainable it can be. Once we understand our footprint, we take responsibility by offsetting it through verified environmental projects. We use SeaTrees by sustainable surf to offset unavoidable emissions.

3. SUPPORT OCEAN RESTORATION

Mangroves in Mida Creek, Kenya

The certified scheme at SeaTrees provides us with a tangible way to plant and protect blue carbon coastal systems. UltraSwim 33.3 specifically supports the South Cardamom REDD+ Project in Cambodia and the planting of mangroves in Mida Creek region in Kenya. Protecting the ocean seems an obvious starting point to us. As open water swimmers, we have a duty to protect the ocean, it’s something that we all care deeply about. So when you’re thinking of ways you can reduce your impact, remember, no action is too small.

4. USE SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTS

Keeping warm in RED change robes, a partner with aligned sustainability policies to ours

Every product choice matters. From event merchandise to our partners, we prioritise biodegradable, non-toxic, and environmentally responsible materials. We try and educate our swimmers on aspects such as suncream. Most suncream is harmful to coral reefs, and when there are 200 of our swimmers entering the same ecosystem, we feel a responsibility as this becomes a collective impact. We ask our swimmers to avoid suncream containing harmful chemicals like oxybenzone and octinoxate. There are a lot of ‘reef-safe’ suncreams out there so please do try and make the change.

5. REDUCING FUEL CONSUMPTION

Using kayaks to minimise fuel consumption

Events like ours often rely on boats and motorised support, but we aim to minimise this wherever possible. By limiting unnecessary fuel use and prioritizing electric or human-powered options, such as kayaks or paddle boards, we significantly reduce emissions and noise pollution, creating a more harmonious experience with the natural environment. All our main event equipment is transported in one, very well packed van. This is an example of an unavoidable emission that we offset through our partners.

6. MINIMISE WASTE AND ENCOURAGE RE-USE

Our re-usable waterbottles

Waste reduction is about rethinking the lifecycle of everything we use. Instead of producing items designed for one-time use, we focus on durable, reusable gear that participants can continue to use long after the event. We even reuse the dry bags! We have a very strict no-littering policy, littering whilst in the water results in immediate disqualification, so if you are a swimmer, please tuck those gel packets away safely so you can dispose of them back on land, or even hand them to someone at the feed station.

7. PARTNER WITH RESPONSIBLE VENUES AND LOCAL BUSINESSES

Choosing responsible venues

Sustainability doesn’t happen in isolation. We collaborate with hotels, venues, and local partners who share strong environmental values. This includes choosing accommodations that implement energy-saving practices, reduce waste, and support local ecosystems. Read about Valamar, our partner hotel in Croatia here. We are also trying to partner with local charities at each of our events, the Dalmatian Island Environment Foundation being the chosen charity for our Croatia event. We would appreciate suggestions for the other locations, you can email them to us at purpose@ultraswim333.com.

We can work together to protect the ocean that we are so lucky to swim in

Earth Day is a powerful reminder that protecting our planet is a shared responsibility. While these actions guide our approach, real impact comes from collective effort from our participants, partners, and communities. No matter how small, your action matters! You can contribute here through our partner SeaTrees.