Looking out for future generations

World Rowing took the opportunity to ask him about his impressions and his vision on this pioneer project.

WR: What are your first impressions of this event?
JV: I find this a true example of how beautiful rowing can be: attractive races in a truly natural environment and with really great atmosphere! I noticed that the organising committee is working hard to reduce the impact of the event on the environment; with fuel cell cars, seperate  bins for paper, plastic etc. Also, the water in the lake is much clearer than it used to be. So, my first impression here is really positive!

WR: What is the meaning of a WWF representative being here in Bled this week?
JV: WWF has basically two objectives when it comes to this ‘clean water partnership’: conservation on one side, and education and communication on the other side. We really want people and companies to become aware of the environment, and especially of what they can do themselves to protect it. As the rowing community is full of people who understand and really appreciate the value of nature and water, this is obviously a very important group for us to talk to!

So, here we have televised advertising for our clean water cause, with Lake Bled and its surrounding mountains and forests as a beautiful backdrop. And.  later this year we will work with FISA to help further develop their environmental guidelines. But locally, the impact is even bigger. In Slovenia, the local office of WWF and the organising committee of the World Rowing Championships instigated a big education program on clean water in 32 schools, and they raised money with a sponsor-rowing program for local WWF sustainability projects as well. 

WR: How did the WWF World rowing partnership come about?
JV: That was an initiative of FISA. During their rebranding process they were looking at the core values of rowing, and they found out how important nature and water is for their community. So WWF was a very logical strategic partner to help emphasize these values and bring the clean water message across. I was the one to find this initiative on my desk, and I immediately loved the concept and possibilities for the long term. Also because of the clean reputation of this sport.

WR: We understand that this is a kind of pioneer project for WWF. What makes it different from your other partnerships?
JV: We have partnerships with very many large companies, like for instance Coca Cola. But these partnerships are different in a sense that they really focus on reducing the ecological footprint of the company itself; by changing the internal processes and by supporting the WWF projects financially. I feel we have a natural link to the rowing community and we hope that with this partnership, we can activate rowers all over the world to help us protect the water and make a difference.

WR: We believe you have a strong connection with rowing yourself. Please can you tell us more about this?
JV: My mother rowed, half of my classmates were doing it, so I started rowing as well at a club called Spaarne, in a beautiful natural surrounding in the Netherlands. I liked the competitive side of rowing, and via juniors and U23 Championships I ended up with a silver medal at the Olympic Games in Sydney in the men’s quadruple sculls. Diederik Simon, who is now stroking the Dutch Men’s 8 here in Bled was in that boat as well, and we are still friends. That makes it extra special for me to be here!