LONDON: In late 2014, long-distance swimmer Ben Lecomte will swim 5,500 miles across the Pacific Ocean, in an environmental awareness-building mission called The Longest Swim, in which a portion of funds raised will go to The Climate Group.

Not only is Ben going to set the world record for longest open water swim without a kickboard, he is also keen to raise awareness around sustainability, in order to make our oceans and environment as healthy as they can be for our children and future generations.

Ben explains why he is supporting The Climate Group's work to drive a low carbon future: "Before anything else I am a father and as a father the future of my children concerns me because, as we all know, our way of life is not sustainable. I don’t want to be passive and pass on to my children the liability we are tagging on to our environment. We can all make a difference once we realize how we can be better stewards of the environment and our own ecological footprint, make appropriate daily changes and inspire others to do the same. This is the first goal of this event and is intended to get people’s attention throughout the world and to understand that the solution is in our hands and that we can take action."

He says the second goal is to encourage and work with the education system in all countries to include classes on sustainability in their curriculums, because "sustainability starts with education".

Ben Lecomte was the first man to swim across the Atlantic Ocean without a kick board in 1998, which he did to raise money and awareness for cancer research as a tribute to his father.

During the 3,716 mile journey, he was accompanied by a 40 ft. sailboat that dragged an electrode creating an electromagnetic field to ward off sharks. Despite this he was followed by a shark for five days, as well as stung by jellyfish, but he beat exhaustion to complete his swim in just 73 days.

In late 2014, Ben will do it all again – this time swimming across the Pacific Ocean from Tokyo, Japan to San Francisco, USA. Ben has been training for over three years to accomplish this goal.

There are many ways you can participate in Ben’s epic journey across the Pacific. An Indiegogo campaign will let you support the project and get some amazing perks as a reward, Sponsorship and Partnership Opportunities are still available, and Donations will help raise funds, a portion of which goes back to The Climate Group.

Ben Lecomte, long-distance swimmer and environmental campaigner

Swimming across the Pacific Ocean is no small feat and there are many costs involved. Some expenses that must be covered include the boat, crew, food and international media coverage to raise awareness of the campaign.

Funds will also go toward technology, as the swim will be streamed live so Ben can stay connected with supporters and advocates, and share the journey to encourage others to create a safer world to live in. Impressively, Ben will be doing a live Q&A while on his epic journey.

For all funds raised throughout this journey, The Longest Swim will donate a portion of the monies back to The Climate Group so we can continue raising awareness of low carbon opportunities in business and connecting powerful people together who can help build a better, low carbon future.

Please help Ben achieve his daring and courageous goal by donating generously to The Longest Swim campaign or through sponsorship and endorsements, here. You can also follow Ben on Twitter.

If you are interested in supporting us you can either contact our Fundraising Development Manager Sarah Parrish at SParrish@TheClimateGroup.org or you can donate directly to The Climate Group through our Just Giving page: