West Marine, the largest specialty retailer of boating supplies and accessories, today announced a call for entries for its second annual "Green Product of the Year" contest. As part of West Marine's mission to reduce its impact on the environment, it will continues to search for innovative, green products, and award a grand prize of $10,000 to a designated official winner (void where prohibited by law) at the 2011 Miami International Boat Show.

"As part of West Marine's mission to preserve and protect the marine environment, we're excited to continue our "Green Product of the Year" contest, now in its second year," said Geoff Eisenberg, CEO, West Marine. "Our desire is to spur invention and development of green boating products and we hope to see even more entries this year."

The competition is free and open to individuals, manufacturers, distributors and/or inventors of boating products. Judges will select the winner of the second annual contest based on the following criteria:

1) Effective: Is the product as effective as competitive products in the marketplace?
2) Economical: Is the product priced competitively with existing solutions or similar products on the market? This can be measured on a per-use basis or a cost-justified basis (i.e. use of the product saves X amount of dollars).
3) Environmental Impact: How does the use of this product benefit the environment? Due to the diversity of product categories, this could be expressed in reduced fuel consumption, reduction of chemicals of concern, reduced air or water pollution, or another metric.
4) Degree of Innovation: Was the product introduced to the marketplace in 2009 or 2010? Is the product different from anything else in the marketplace? Does the product incorporate new materials or technologies?
5) Verification of Claims: All environmental or efficacy claims must be verifiable and substantiated by an independent third party. Entrants must provide actual data, test results, laboratory analyses, etc.
6) Compliance with Official Rules: Does the entry and entrant in all respects comply with these official rules?

West Marine's "Green Product of the Year" in 2010 was Mercury Marine's MercMonitor, featuring the ECO-Screen. An affordable, high-value digital vessel monitoring system, MercMonitor allows boaters to adjust effortlessly to changing demands at sea in order to obtain the best fuel economy for their specific boat. It constantly monitors engine RPM, boat speed, fuel consumption and engine trim to automatically calculate and guide boaters to the optimum fuel economy settings.

"Whether it's for boats or for boaters, West Marine is constantly searching for the most innovative products," said Eisenberg. "West Marine's first "Green Product of the Year" winner combined cutting edge technology and a forward thinking solution for boaters, for a more sustainable world."

The panel of esteemed judges includes:

• Dr. Randy Kochevar, PhD, Stanford University's Hopkins Marine Station
• Chuck Husick, President, OWA, Inc., former President of Cessna Aircraft and Chris-Craft Boats
• Stan Honey, Ocean Racing Navigator, founder of Etak and SportVision
• Mike Sutton, VP and Director, Center for the Future of the Oceans, Monterey Bay Aquarium
• Ruth Wood, President, BoatU.S. Foundation
• Randy Repass, Chairman and Founder, West Marine
• Chuck Hawley, VP of Product Information, West Marine

Participants can enter the contest, as well as view the complete rules and entry requirements, at westmarine.com/green.

About West Marine
West Marine, the largest specialty retailer of boating supplies and accessories, has more than 330 company-owned stores located in 38 states, Puerto Rico and Canada, and two franchised stores in Turkey. Its call center and Internet channels offer customers approximately 50,000 products plus the convenience of being able to order online and ship to a local store free of charge. The Port Supply division is one of the largest wholesale distributors of marine equipment serving boat manufacturers, marine services, commercial vessel operators and government agencies. For more information on West Marine's products and store locations, or to start shopping, visit www.westmarine.com.

West Marine

West Marine

West Marine, the largest specialty retailer of boating supplies and accessories, has more than 330 company-owned stores located in 38 states, Puerto Rico and Canada, and two franchised stores in Turkey. Its call center and Internet channels offer customers approximately 50,000 products plus the convenience of being able to order online and ship to a local store free of charge. The Port Supply division is one of the largest wholesale distributors of marine equipment serving boat manufacturers, marine services, commercial vessel operators and government agencies. For more information on West Marine's products and store locations, or to start shopping, visit www.westmarine.com.

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