St. Maarten Heineken Regatta new Environmental Bracelets available

by Heather Tackling on 30 Jan 2009 The Natural Reserve of Saint Martin and the Nature Foundation of St. Maarten are proud to announce their continued collaboration for the 2009 St. Maarten Heineken Regatta, scheduled for March 5-8, 2009.
In partnership with Heineken and the Sint Maarten Yacht club, both marine parks will be able to sell the new white bracelets and metal PINS (Promote Interest in Nature and Society) to various shopkeepers around the island. Shipwreck Shops will be the first stores to carry these environmental reminders, in their stores and in their merchandise tents during the St. Maarten Heineken Regatta 2009.

The new white bracelets have a message on 2 sides, the top side bears the message 'Enjoy Heineken Responsibly' and the smiling 'e' logo: both part of Heineken St Maarten’s awareness campaign on responsible drinking, and the other side reads the website for the event www.heinekenregatta.com. The profit from the sale of the bracelets will be used to fund the various efforts of the French and Dutch marine parks to help them to protect the natural patrimony. Efforts in the 2006, 2007, and 2008 St Maarten Heineken Regattas brought a total sum of over $ 10.000! In fact, you can still purchase the whole collection, four bracelets in total, available at the Heineken offices.

The new metal PINS, similar to those sold at Disney parks, feature the St. Maarten Heineken Regatta logo and text, and can be attached to bags, hats, shirts or anything else that you can think of. The profits for these PINS will be used for various social and environmental issues facing our island.

'The St. Maarten Heineken Regatta is THE nautical and sporting event on St Maarten and it is very important from an economical point of view, because of its contribution to the tourism development of the island. Many sailors put their anchor in our waters in order to participate in ‘Serious Fun’ during the days of racing and the nights' activities. 'We want to use Heineken’s exposure during the event, to generate interest in helping to protect our marine life.' says Beverly Mae Nisbeth of the Nature Foundation.

'We are now in our 4th year raising money through this program for the 2 organizations. The bracelets are now a Regatta tradition,' adds John Leone Heineken St Maarten‘s Director, 'The bracelets are a collector’s item and an easy way to show people that you care about our Island and our Waters, and hopefully it serves as a reminder for us to keep our beaches and waters clean.'

The white bracelets and metal PINS can be purchased now for $3.00 and $5.00 respectively, at all Shipwreck Shop locations, through the 2 foundations, at the Heineken Office in Cole Bay and at the Sint Maarten Yacht Club Regatta Office. It’s an Easy and Fun way to show your love for nature and good times and of course the 100% natural ingredients of Heineken beer!

As for the St. Maarten Heineken Regatta? It is March 5-8, only a few weeks to go!