Mavericks Surf Ventures partnered with Clif Bar & Co., to help make The 2006 Mavericks Surf Contest the first-ever “climate neutral” surfing event. The paddle-in contest which brings together 24 of the world’s best big-wave surfers on just 24 hours’ notice between now and March 31, 2006, has always taken great pride in being environmentally conscious, but this partnership takes the efforts to new heights.

“Big wave surfing requires not only a great deal of skill and courage but also a clean ocean and healthy environment to enjoy it in,” said Ricardo Balazs, sports marketing coordinator for Clif Bar & Co., whose CLIF BAR energy bar is the official energy food of the Mavericks Surf Contest. “As a company that creates food to sustain active, outdoor people, we believe in taking an active approach to preserving the natural environment that serves as the playground for our passions.”

The goal of the partnership is to minimize the environmental impact of the contest and ensure that the site at Half Moon Bay is left in a pristine condition after the 30,000 spectators leave its cliffs and beaches.

To make this possible, Clif Bar is funding the purchase of enough renewable energy credits from NativeEnergy, a renewable energy firm, to offset the 86.6 tons of CO2 it’s estimated Mavericks competitors and event staff will generate through air travel, ground transport, hotels, boats, jet-skis, aircrafts and generators used during the event. CO2 is a greenhouse gas and the primary cause of global warming, according to climate experts. The energy credits will help fund construction of new wind farms on Native American land, providing an environmental benefit equivalent to taking 5,268 cars off the road for a day.

In addition, Clif Bar and Mavericks will create education stations about composting and recycling, and replant areas of the cliff that will experience increased foot traffic on contest day.

“This is an extremely important initiative for the 2006 Mavericks Surf Contest,” said Mavericks Surf Ventures Managing Partner Keir Beadling. “We are committed to lessening the impact of the thousands of spectators that will show up and maintaining the pristine beauty of Half Moon Bay. We’re fortunate to have aligned with Clif Bar which has great expertise in doing this for other major sporting events.”