Welcome to the third round of Stand-Up Paddle funding, with the Association for the Safeguard of Lake Geneva. Equestrio Foundation is funding a new series of 8 humorous videos produced with Thibaud Agoston to raise public awareness of the need to protect the biodiversity of Lake Geneva. Raising awareness is at the heart of our strategy.
About the importance of raising awareness among the younger generation
Today’s younger generations are inheriting a disastrous environmental legacy as well as the huge responsibility of turning the tide. They are suffering but must act; they are afraid but have no choice but to reject fatalism and nurture the hope needed to repair the future. How tenuous is the line between resignation and action.
This paradoxical situation is reflected in these figures from the ADEME: while the younger generations consider themselves to be 75% more committed than those who preceded them, the actual commitment of 15–25-year-olds remains marginal. For example, only 9% of them are involved in an environmental protection association, and only 14% have ever taken part in a climate protest. The reasons for this? Lack of time, desire or motivation…
Stand-up Paddle: from laughs to action
So, it seems obvious that this generation, often described as “sacrificed”, should be at the heart of our awareness-raising initiatives. The Stand-Up Paddle series, launched by the Association for the Safeguard of Lake Geneva) in 2021, is aimed particularly at them.
This campaign of educational videos, co-created by Swiss comedian Thibaud Agoston, uses a light-hearted approach to open our eyes to the biodiversity of Lake Geneva and awaken our desire to protect it.
🍿 Discover the 14th episodes here 👈
Fighting pollution in Lake Geneva
Like our oceans, but also our mountains, our forests, our glaciers and our… (you know all about this), the lake ecosystem is bearing the full brunt of the consequences of climate change and man-made pollution, particularly that generated by plastic waste, microplastics, nanoplastics…. (you also know all about this, right?). This waste has a considerable impact on biodiversity, as it is ingested by birds, fish and mammals, as well as smaller organisms such as plankton and mussels. As for the impact on the human food chain, while this has not yet been proven, it is strongly suspected.
Another year of donations to the ASL
Equestrio Foundation has been supporting the Association for the Safeguard of Lake Geneva for the past 3 years to help combat these scourges.
2023 marks the final stage of our collaboration, with the funding of eight new short-format videos to the tune of CHF 11,000 (€11,185). Broadcast from November 2023 to May 2024, each clip tackles a specific topic concerning the lake and in connection with the season, but always with the common thread of paddleboarding and Thibaud Agoston’s jokes.
You’ll find out everything you need to know about the depths of the lake … not forgetting its surface and banks, of course! From the wintering of the goosander in December, to the migration of the toads in March, the snakes that take it easy on the rocks in April and the nocturnal tribulations of the bats in May… the lake will no longer hold any secrets for you and preserving it will be a matter of course.
Our partnership is coming to an end, but the Association for the Safeguard of Lake Geneva is continuing. You too can help the association to fight its battles and implement its actions. They need your help!