The Live Blue Foundation

Dear Blue Mind Ambassadors & Patrons,

Here's a press release and announcement we shared on October 24th in New York City.

We're excited about all the good work coming up in 2020 as we celebrate ten years of #bluemind.

Your steady investment in our work makes it all possible.

Thank you,

J & Team Blue Mind

For Immediate Release

October 24, 2019 - New York, NY

Today The Blue Mind Movement and Watershape University announced the launch of The Live Blue Foundation at Good Housekeeping’s Raise The Green Bar event at Hearst Tower in NYC.

For the past decade Dr. Wallace J. Nichols has worked around the world to describe and share the vast physical and emotional health benefits of time spent near, in, on and under water throughout our lives. The foundation will provide tools and grants to leading organizations who are putting this new research and practice into action.

“We are seeing more red mind (stress, anxiety and distraction) leading to gray mind (overload, burnout and breakdown) than ever. We think “blue mind” is part of the toolkit of solutions—healthy waters help us lead more emotionally and physically resilient lives, and also boost creativity, contentment, collaboration, and general wellness,” say Dr. Nichols. “In turn, people will value their waters and oceans more when they understand and experience these benefits.”

“Watershape University, and before it the National Swimming Pool Foundation®, believes in the power of water to help people live healthier and happier lives,” says Lauren Stack. “We are certain that the grants provided through The Live Blue Foundation will put “blue mind” to work for the benefit of humankind and the industries involved in recreational water activities, like the pool, spa and aquatics fields,” adds Stack.

A recent study published in the Annals of Leisure Research emphasized emotional health and well-being dimensions of water, stating “those managing recreational facilities like a community pool could consider more than how the facility promotes physical well-being and attempt to create spaces that promote other types of well-being.” Another 2019 study published in Scientific Reports found spending at least 120 minutes a week in nature is associated with good health and well-being.

Our Mission: The Live Blue Foundation was created to put Blue Mindscience and best practices into action—safely getting people near, in, on and under water for life.

Our Vision: We recognize that water is medicine for those who need it most and everyone else. Our vision is a world where everyone understands and has access to the cognitive, emotional, psychological, social, physical, and spiritual health benefits of waters and oceans—their #bluemind.

Our Activities: Based on a decade of research, outreach, a global network of experts, practitioners, and ambassadors and the groundswell created by the book Blue Mind by Dr. Wallace J Nichols, we identify leading organizations around the world who reconnect people with water throughout their lives and provide tools needed to put #bluemind into action.

Our Design: Our logo represents the lifelong connections we share throughout each of the seven ages of water, which Dr. Nichols will detail in his upcoming book Live Blue.

Contact : Julie Starke, juliestarke@me.com, 757-646-2001

The Blue Mind Movement was founded by marine biologist Dr. Wallace J. Nichols in 2009 to describe and share the science and best practices related to water and wellness. Through annual summits, books, films, awards, media, keynotes, and workshops BMC has reached over a billion people, making progress towards to the goal of creating common knowledge. #bluemind

Nichols is changing the way the world engages with water and rethinking all the ways people spend time near, in, on and under it. He is a driving force in creating common knowledge about how water is medicine for those who need it most and sharing Blue Mind science and ethos across many sectors in contemporary culture. 

Watershape University (“WU”) provides the highest quality live instruction of business, design, engineering and construction programs to students of all levels in the pool, spa, aquatics, and outdoor living sectors. Although recently founded by David J. Peterson (CEO) and William T. Drakeley (President,) WU is defined by decades of teaching and practice among staff, faculty, and volunteers engaged in its educational and credentialing programs. WU encourages personal development through membership in the elite International Watershape Institute, providing principled leadership, a supportive culture and altruism to benefit the industry and society. A key outreach is The Live Blue Foundation, a partnership between Watershape University and The Blue Mind Movement. Peterson and Lauren Stack, Vice President, are pleased to serve as advisory board members of the Foundation, getting people near, in, on, and under water for life. 

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