Blue Earth Summit x Wavelength Goes Off

Were you in Bristol for the Blue Earth Summit? If so, you’ll be bathing in a bath of post-event stoke, having spent three days surrounded by purpose-led disruptors, innovators, mavericks, and mavens of change.

Mixing talks on climate realism with positive change was the theme for the initial two days of talks and workshops at the Propyard, finishing up on Thursday night with a Surf Film Festival, The Futurenauts and The Nextmen.

Patagonia’s In the Family of Things kicked off the Thursday night bill of stoke, followed by the beautifully put-together Yama and a reflective chat between Wavelength Mag editor Mike Lay and director Maddie Meddings. Next, Siska rolled into The Rainforest Project, and Mike caught up with project founder and old friend Matt Smith. The penultimate chat with Rebecca van der Veer from Reclaim the Sea teased the forthcoming film and set the scene for the final act with John Florence.

Mike Lay and Maddie Meddings discussing the shine of Yama

Phoning in live from the North Shore, John discussed his partnership Vivo Barefoot and went deep into natural foot structure with Vivo’s co-founder Asher Clark and WL’s very own Ed Temperley. A life spent treading the sands of Pipeline sans shoes has set the basis of one of the most intuitive partnerships imaginable. Foot structure and natural health are an oft-overlooked element of the surfing performance sphere, and I suspect something you’ll be hearing more about in the future.

John Florence on stage with Asher Clark and Ed Temperley

John then presented an exclusive film edit he’s only playing analogue at limited film festivals. Yep, you heard that right, Advice To My Younger Self, which documents time aboard his boat pioneering Fijian reef passes with his brothers, is an in-person-only experience. This film will never be available on the internet or in any traditional sense; it is only being shown live at gatherings of surf-minded folk.

The third and final day saw the venue shift to The Wave and a day of running, yoga, talks and surfing. The day kicked off with an incredibly well-attended Sophie Hellyer led swim at 7am and ran through a packed itinerary dovetailing inspiring talks with a mind-blowing expression session from the UK’s rip-shred protagonists. The sets waxed up and down throughout the day, which juxtaposed high-fi surf action with approachable Malibu sessions for the uninitiated, amidst moments for connection and reflection.

If you weren’t able to join us in Bristol and want a slice of the action then you’re in luck. The Wavelength Surf Film Fest is going on tour, with dates across the UK to be announced in coming weeks – watch this space!