From Portugal, Michael paddled 1,200 kilometres across the Atlantic Ocean. It took him just under 14 days to cover this distance on the open sea until, about 15 kilometres off the Canary Island of Fuerteventura, he collided with an unidentified object. It was around 9 p.m. the 1st of October when Michael was lying in his cabin and was awakened by a loud bang. The board immediately turned sharply on its side and the paddler was thrown through his boat. A short time later, the board righted itself and Michael was able to leave his cabin. He immediately noticed several damages. In addition to a hole in the cabin overhang, the entire position lamp and its mounting were missing, and the AIS antenna had been broken off.

He managed to reach the port of Puerto del Rosario without assistance only by himself within five hours. The full extent of the collision became apparent the next day, so Michael had to decide to abandon his trip. He is currently back in Kiel and the board is on its way back in a container. Further news on this and other topics can of course be found here or on our social media channels.

In a few days, the Gebrüder Weiss company will transport the offshore board and Michael to Portugal. From Largos, Michael will hopefully be able to set off across the Atlantic around September 19. Hopefully, because of course the wind and weather conditions also have some influence. A strong, steady northerly wind would be just perfect for the first of the 6000 km. The board is perfectly prepared, Michael is too, and you can now follow his journey live here on the website. Of course, you can always find more news and information on our social media channels.

In addition to communicating ocean and climate protection issues, we are of course always keen to support science directly. We are therefore delighted that Michael's tour across the Atlantic will also contribute directly to a better understanding of our oceans and their inhabitants. In close cooperation with the Alfred Wegener Institute in Bremerhaven, the paddler will collect acoustic data with a hydrophone during his journey. This will help scientists better understand how marine animals communicate with each other and how they're affected by shipping and other factors. This is particularly important because sound spreads about four times faster and much further underwater than on land. Especially during paddling breaks when sleeping and eating, the board floats almost silently in the Atlanic Ocean. We want to use these moments to generate data.

Last autumn, the team travelled to Iceland to find a new approach to taking joint action against the climate crisis. Our documentary ‘Time to Act’ was created during conversations with inspiring people and surrounded by impressive nature. It will be released in German cinemas on the 19th of June, but we are also working hard on an English version. We will complete it after our Atlantic voyage in January 2026 at the latest. We will keep you updated here, of course!

Once again this year, Michael was honoured to be part of the UNESCO jury awarding the National Prize for Education for Sustainable Development. The ceremony took place on the 22nd of May 2025 at St. Elisabeth Church in Berlin. In addition to the high number of applicants, the quality of the entries was particularly impressive this year. In his short statement, Michael said that the development of the prize was comparable to a coastline. ‘Three years ago, small sustainability lighthouse projects stood out, but now a whole coastline is emerging with a multitude of large and small projects and initiatives.’

In addition to the state capital Munich, the state capital Kiel and Greenpeace e.V., a zoo school and a scout association also won the award. The complete overview can be found here!

The time has finally come. After months of preparation and planning, we can finally present our new project. At the end of September, Michael Walther will set out on a unique journey with a special offshore stand-up paddleboard. 6000 km of open sea await him. There is a lot of information about this project and, of course, we will keep you up to date here and on our social media channels. We will also set up a live tracker before the start. In the meantime, you can find the basic facts here!

We are currently very inactive on our channels, but we can promise you that we are working hard in the background. Our primary goal with our zero emissions project is to inspire people to explore nature and to break new ground. Our Iceland film, which we are producing together with We are Vision and Wild Promise, will also contribute to this. The trailer will be presented soon, and work on the film itself is ongoing. We are also planning a film tour to give as many people as possible the opportunity to get to know the film and the idea behind it.

But that's not all this year. Michael is working on a major project, which we have been planning for several years and for which training has already begun. We'll tell you more about it on the 20th of March 2025!

We are happy to announce that the German UNESCO Commission and the Federal Ministry of Education and Research have once again appointed Michael Walther to the jury of the National Award for ‘Education for Sustainable Development’. This prize is awarded every two years, comes with a total of €100,000 in prize money, and will be presented in Berlin in May. More than 200 initiatives, organisations, and associations have applied this year.

Climate, ocean and species protection are closely linked and they are all united by the fact that we need to act now. We need to rethink our priorities as a society. Iceland is not just a place where the sea, cliffs, red-hot lava, ice-cold glaciers and northern lights meet, it is also a place where concrete solutions are being worked on. Michael Walther travelled to the island for three weeks in October to gain first-hand impressions. In addition to the melting glaciers, the focus was on intensive discussions with the people who are actively working on solutions - whether it be technical options for storing CO2 or social change. The feeling he took away from the trip was that we can make a difference if we finally act together. 

The documentation of this trip will be published in 2025, further information can be found here or on our social media channels.

The Ocean Re-CREATION Challenge is a trans-regional hackathon in Schleswig-Holstein about protecting the coast and the ocean. Scientists, students or trainees and employees from various fields can develop, prototype or code new solutions over 4.5 days. The ORCC is organized by TransmarTech, the transfer center for maritime technologies. Supported by the state and the EU, this center boosts maritime, sustainable innovations. 

We are delighted that Michael Walther is the patron of the ORCC this year. In this role, he will support the teams with his expertise and network in order to develop practical solutions for better ocean protection.

The Federal Ministry of Education and Research and the German Commission for UNESCO presented the National Award - Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) on November 8. Dr. Andrea Ruyter-Petznek, Head of the Department of Education in Regions, Education for Sustainable Development at the Federal Ministry of Education and Research, and Dr. Roman Luckscheiter, Secretary-General of the German Commission for UNESCO, presented the award to the actors for their outstanding commitment. We were able to impress the jury with our exemplary commitment to ESD and our special dedication to the United Nations' Global Sustainability Goals.

We are delighted to have received the national "Education for Sustainable Development" award and will continue to work over the next 15 years to anchor climate justice and species and marine conservation more firmly in people's minds!

We are very pleased that the Zero Emissions project has been honoured by the state capital Kiel and the Lord Mayor, Dr. Ulf Kämpfer. The long-standing commitment and environmental education were the focus of the ceremony. We would like to express our sincere thanks for the award and promise that our motivation will not decrease. We look forward to exciting future projects with Kiel as our home port!