Recently, H.S.H. Prince Albert II of Monaco and his personal foundation, FPA2, developed the Wood Forever program.  The purpose of this new venture “… aims to accompany the yacht builders towards the use of timber from sustainably managed forests.”

During the 2011 Monaco Yacht Show the famous yacht building company, Burger Boats, became the first official member of the Wood Forever program:

Burger signed a partnership agreement and committed to analyze their wood supply chain in order to be able to develop a sustainable wood purchasing policy and, doing so, fight deforestation.

Also, during yesterday’s Monaco Yacht Show, the sovereign prince had a special guest with him when he visited all those amazing yachts docked at Port Hercule.  So, who was this special guest?  His Majesty King Juan Carlos of Spain.

According to the newspaper, Monaco Matin, the prince and the king visited the yacht Columbus 177 Prima, an environmentally friendly yacht that just won the Green Plus 2011 award during the Monaco Yacht Show.  What is the Green Plus 2011 Award?  Well, it is given those whose construction of a yacht follows strict environmental standards. To view photos please click here. 

Sources: SYT.com and Monaco Matin

Photos courtesy of: Palais Princier de Monaco and F. Chavaroche

As I mentioned yesterday, H.S.H. Prince Albert II of Monaco would be in Archangelsk, Russia to participate in the 2nd Annual International Arctic Forum entitled, The Arctic: The Territory of Dialogue.  Well, he’s there.  🙂

The conference, held at the Northern (Arctic) Federal University in Arkhangelsk, was attended by over 300 researchers, scientists, activists, and politicians from around the world.  Discussions during today’s event focused on:

… on creating Arctic transportation infrastructure as a foundation for the development of the Arctic.  This primarily involves the development of commercial and research navigation, transportation terminals (sea ports and airports) and corridors (the Northern Sea Route), polar aviation, cargo and passenger trans-polar and cross-polar transportation. Steady development of this infrastructure is vital for the very existence of the Arctic region.cooperative efforts to protect the Arctic environment, environmental safety, the rational use of natural resources in the Arctic …

After a brief lunch, Prince Albert II gave a speech regarding the environment and greenhouse gas emission cuts:

The international community can not remain in its current passive condition and hold back from new obligations after the first round of the Kyoto commitments expires…

I would post the entire speech (which, in my opinion, is interesting); however, it will probably bore the crap out of many… so I’ll spare you.  Anyway, to view photos please click here.

Photo courtesy of: Reuters/A. Druginyn

It was recently announced that H.S.H. Prince Albert II of Monaco will be in Arkhangelsk, Russia on September 22, 2011 to participate in The Arctic: Territory of Dialogue conference alongside the President of Iceland, Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson, the Prime Minister of the Russian Federation, Vladmir Putin, and many others.

According to the Palais Princier de Monaco, the conference, organized by the Russian Geographical Society, will:

… bring together top representatives from various countries, scientists as well as specialists in the geology field with an emphasis of the Arctic.  Discussions at the conference will include the issue of transport in the Arctic, the environment and energy challenges within the area and more.

The Arctic: Territory of Dialogue conference ends on September 24, 2011.  To learn more about this event please click here and here.

H.S.H. Prince Albert II of Monaco was recently ranked the 28th most visible leader in the world according to the company, Reputation Institute  (never heard of them either.)

Anyway… the green prince aka Prince Albert II is in good company — minus Hugo Chavez who is also on the list — he trails Pope Benedict, the 14th Dalai Lama (he ranked #13), and President Barack Obama.

So, congrats Albert!   🙂

In other news, the 21st Annual Monaco Yacht Show began today at Port Hercule in Monaco. Boat lovers from around the world are currently in town to gaze upon some of the world’s most fabulous boats and to schmooze with really important people.

To learn more about the 21st Annual Monaco Yacht Show please click here. 

Photo courtesy of Palais Princier de Monaco (thank you!)

On September 18, 2011, H.S.H. Prince Albert II of Monaco arrived in Georgia for a three-day official visit to the country that was once apart of the Soviet Union.  Upon his arrival at the airport, Prince Albert was greeted by the President of Georgia, Mikheil Saakashvili as well as other local politicians.  Soon, the sovereign prince and the president were off to visit several cultural heritage sites in Mestia, Georgia, specifically, one of the oldest neighborhoods in the town known as Lanchvali:

… Lanchvali, where there is a monument that was built in the 12^th century. The current construction work in Lanchvali will restore the original appearance of the neighborhood. They also visited a house that was built in the 4^th century in the Lanchvali neighborhood, tasted traditional Svanetian dishes and listened to Svanetian songs… they also visited the Lagami village and toured the ancient church there.

After a long day of sightseeing the prince attended a musical at the Batumi Opera House in the city of, well, Batumi.

This afternoon, September 19, Prince Albert and President Saakashvili visited the town of Kvareli where the president “… explained the technology of harvesting grapes and processing them  to Albert II while making some wine with him.”  Then, they were off to visit an archeological site in Dmanisi, then a meeting with members of the National Olympic Committee of Georgia, and finally Prince Albert visited the Georgian National Museum in Tbilisi where he gave a speech.

One important stop during the prince’s whirlwind of a day was a visit to the home of former Georgian luger, Nodar Kumaritashvili, where the prince presented a medal of honor to his parents.  If you don’t know who Nodar Kumaritashvili was, he was the young man who was tragically killed during a practice run at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada.

To view photos from today’s events please click here.

Sources: President.gov.ge, News.az and Trend.az

Photo courtesy of: Palais Princier de Monaco (thank you!)   🙂

On Saturday, September 17, 2011, H.S.H. Prince Albert II of Monaco visited the lovely town of Beausoleil, France where he attended a massive food festival.  The local townspeople gave a round of applause for the sovereign prince of Monaco as he was greeted by the Mayor and General Counsel, Gerard Spinelli. Unfortunately, H.S.H. Princess Charlene was not in attendance to the disappointment of many.  To view photos from the event please click here.

Meanwhile, French journalist and close friend of Prince Albert’s, Stéphane Bern, is still on a princely wedding high.  Recently, Mr. Bern visited the Musée Océanographique where he presented the book, L’histoire du Marriage Princier, to the musée’s curator.

As he walked through the L’histoire du Marriage Princier exhibition at the musée Mr. Bern was treated like a celebrity.  Waving to the crowds (who clapped for him… why I have no idea) as he was walked towards the exhibition’s most popular display, Mr. Bern beamed as he gazed upon the stunning Océan tiara.  Asked what he thought of the piece, Mr. Bern replied, “I love it!  I saw it being set up [at the Musée Océanographique] and it’s amazing how flexible it is…” He went on to comment about H.S.H. Princess Charlene’s wedding dress, which is also on display at the exhibition, “… the set and dress is nicer than at Buckingham palace!”  

Yeah, that’s a bit biased, Steve.

Source and photo courtesy of: Monaco Matin