With global shipping emissions equivalent to that of our aviation industries, it's clear that massive opportunities lie in cleaner, smarter innovations. In this first episode of the Clean Sailors podcast, host Holly is joined by Per Tunnell, COO of Wallenius Marine, to discuss the power of sails in modern-day shipping. They talk about harnessing wind for a cleaner planet, how globalisation has been good for us and Wallenius's revolutionary new ship, the Oceanbird.

There are few things more spectacular when out on the water than sighting dolphins and whales. These awesome creatures aren't just profoundly intelligent, they keep the balance of many of our global ecosystems in check. In this episode, host Holly is joined by Liz Sandeman of Marine Connection and Katie Dyke of WDC, to discuss the importance of whales and dolphins - from their personalities to the alarming impacts we are having on these ancient species, and how us sailors, seafarers, mariners and water-appreciators can help safeguard their future.

Being on our boats we are living directly in one of THE MOST important ecosystems on our planet, alongside an array of habitats and hosts of species and marine fauna. It makes sense, then, that what we do on and around the water has a pretty immediate impact on the health of our oceans.In this episode we speak with Angus Johnston, Co-founder of Ecoworks Marine, about ‘greywater’ and what it means when most drains lead to the sea...

With studies showing that traditional antifoul paint on the bottom of our boats is contributing extraordinary amounts of chemicals and microplastics to our waters, the case for biocide-free and paint-free solutions is high. In this episode, we speak with Dr. Rik Breur, winner of the European Inventor Award 2019, material scientist and founder of revolutionary antifoul product, Finsulate, about why we should care about our bottoms and how nature inspired his solution to this ocean pollution problem.

Our emission of greenhouse gases, namely significant amounts of Co2 over several hundred years, is altering our climate. We often turn to trees and replanting vegetation, Green Carbon, as the opportunity to recapture carbon from our atmosphere, but coastal ecosystems are exceptionally apt at carbon capture and storage, too - almost more effective than the Green Carbon counterpart. In this episode we speak with Lucy McMahon, Marine and Coastal Scientist and ocean optimist, about Blue Carbon; what it means, how effective our Blue ecosystems are at moderating our planetary climate, and why we need to protect them.

For thousands of years, we've been building boats. We began, and indeed continued for centuries, with wood, but since the mass-commercialisation of plastic since the late 1940's, we've been making boats from glass or fibre-reinforced plastics. Building new boats this way is carbon-intensive plus there is little, if any, formal process in the world for these huge plastic hulls when they come to the end of their lives. In this episode, we speak with Friedrich Deimann and his Co-Managing Director, Jan Paul Schirmer, of Greenboats - a German-based team with big ambitions, building boats in a cleaner and more efficient way.

'Microplastics' - we've all heard of them and over the last two years alone, have become aware of just how pervasive these tiny pieces of plastic are within our environment, and our human bodies… In this episode, we speak with Dr. Christopher Pham and Dr. Roman Lehner, two eminent scientists who study the very topic of microplastics, to help us better understand the plastic soup upon which we sail, soup we can’t see so well from above the waterline. Focusing on our recent sailing expedition mid-Atlantic, around the plastic-rich waters of the Azores, we look at how microplastics are created, just how far they have got, and Dr. Lehner’s pioneering research on how they may be interacting with our very cell structures…

It’s easy to think that all fish belong in the sea. But not all fish belong in all parts of the sea…. Threatening local ecosystems, disrupting and at times eradicating other species entirely and even disrupting economies, our boats, large and small, can transport different creatures around our waters, and at times, across whole oceans. In this episode, we’ll be looking how species spread across our planet, just what this costs us and how the warming of our oceans is likely to make this even more pronounced.. Joining our host, Holly, is marine spatial ecologist and all-round conservation superstar, Dr Alexandra Davies. She is a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Alberta and a true expert on this very matter.

Did you know that each year, in the UK alone, we flush more than 22,000 tonnes of glue down our loos? Each time we flush toilet paper, we are potentially adding thousands of microplastics to our waters. Joining our host, Holly, is Dave Hamlet, Managing Director of Tanki, the glue-free toilet roll , to discuss the makings of toilet roll, the impact of our daily flushes on our waters and how a simple switch by us all, on land and at sea, can help lessen our impact.

Sails, like many things, have a long history. From papyrus leaves or animal hide rigged to catch the wind to today's highly complex highly engineered sail cloth, designed to withstand some of the toughest environments on our planet. With no formal recycling for end-of-life sails, anywhere in the world, we speak with Dede De Luca, Co-founder and CEO of OneSails, on the evolution of sail technology, why end-of-life materials are so complicated, and his top tips for looking after our sails.

During the 1950s, glass fibre reinforced polyester (GRP/FRP/fibreglass) composites displaced wood as the material of choice for boats as it permitted easier manufacture, smoother hydrodynamic surfaces and significantly reduced the maintenance costs. Such materials revolutionised not just the production of vessels, leisure in particular, but also the accessibility of boating to a much wider audience. However, the durability of the composite materials is now becoming an issue given that many boats are no longer required and disposal is not trivial. In this episode, podcast host, Holly, is joined by NL Comp and RECARBON to discuss better boat building and recyclability.

Our polar ice caps are probably the most referred to, as a proxy for the alarming temperature changes of our planet. These large sheets of ice, as preserved for millions of years, have been undergoing change, so much so that once impassable and certainly inhospitable areas of our globe are opening up. Host, Holly, is joined by Ella Hibbert, a sailor who and in just a few short weeks will slip lines, alone, for the Arctic Circle, attempting the worlds- first single-handed non-stop circumnavigation of the Arctic. But, in her own words – ‘this is not a record attempt, it’s a wake-up call’.

In this episode, host, Holly, is joined by Theresa Zabell OLY; two-time Olympic gold winning sailor, with five world championship titles and one silver, three European titles, 14 International Olympic weeks and 13 National Championships under her belt, who, for over twenty years, has been been educating and inspiring young people on ocean pollution and conserving our seas through her Ecomar Foundation. From rising to meet the Olympic standard in sailing to helping address the global challenge of ocean health, hear Theresa discuss her golden achievements and how we all play a role in improving and preserving our watery environments, worldwide.

What exactly is seagrass and why is it important? How do we sailors impact the seabed, and what can we do about it? Tune in to hear a conversation of experts around our joint #ProtectOurBeds campaign - why seagrass is an instrumental species for our planet, how it's threatened and how we sailors can find out exactly where it lies, when out on the water. With the Ocean Conservation Trust, savvy navvy and Falmouth Harbour. #ProtectOurBeds

Freya Terry is a 22-year-old female solo sailor making her way around the UK and Ireland. Aside from this exciting and lengthy journey of 2300 nautical miles, Freya is raising awareness of mental health as she goes. It’s foggy Sunday morning, and we are snug in the cabin of her 31ft boat, a beautiful Sparkman and Stephens SHE, doused in bright pink. Listen in to hear about Freya's solo-sailing accomplishments, her big ambitions, why the topic of our mental health is the message she is spreading as she goes, as well as how we can support each other in discussing the same.

Now, the golden rule when spending time in the sun is to cover up and sunscreen up. These tips are generally the best when it comes to protecting our skin from potentially harmful UVA and UVB rays and any secondary health impacts they can cause such as skin cancer. These tips are well known, however perhaps less known is the harmful effect that personal care products including sunscreen can have on our marine environment. In this episode, hear Stuart Knowles, Founder of ocean-minded sunscreen, Himaya, speak about the health of our oceans, building an environmentally focussed business right through the supply chain, and the best sunscreen to be using (*clue in the title!).