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"They call it sea blindness because we turn our backs to the sea," says Dutch conservationist Wietse van der Werf.
"We're inward looking as our lives and the world happens on land."
So he decided to do something about it.
As an engineer on ships in Antarctica, van der Werf witnessed the effects of climate change and found himself "witnessing the effects of climate change with my own eyes," he tells the New York Times.
So he founded Sea Ranger Service, "a business in fields in which traditionally only charities and philanthropic funds have made an impact," he says.
Instead of focusing on one issue at a time, Sea Ranger Service focuses on multiple issues at once.
For example, it aims to restore 1 million hectares of ocean biodiversity and train 20,000 young people for maritime careers by 2040.
It also deals with unemployment in the marine industries and illegal activity in protected areas.
"I spent a few years investigating the dark corners of the fishing industry and noticed high unemployment in the coastal areas with very few opportunities for young people," van der Werf tells the Times.
So the idea of a tiered service was born.
"These problems access each other's solution," he says.
Selected Grant News Headlines
A customized collection of grant news from foundations and the federal government from around the Web.
New data from Statistics Canada signals a troubling trend in Canada's food manufacturing sector.From 2021 to 2023, just 67.7 per cent of food processing businesses introduced at least one innovation,...more
Department of Energy (DOE), the budget reflects a targeted reorientation of funding toward technologies that align with the administration's energy, industrial and national security priorities.The...more
"World Calls on China to Lead": Urgent Climate Demands Escalate Ahead of Pivotal Global Sustainability Transition Conference.China is positioned to lead global climate action with its dominance in...more
Circular construction is about rethinking how we build, renovate, and repurpose urban spaces.By extending the life of building materials from existing structures the hope is to reduce waste generated...more
Laura Magana, PhD, is president and CEO of the Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health.Her talk will focus on how public health systems can proactively shape policies, environments and...more
Backed by catalytic capital, Co-Axis is set to transform climate and health solutions where theya€™re needed most."By connecting values-driven capital with curated impact opportunities, we...more
The Social Emotional Active Learning (SEAL) program is designed to build empathy, emotional awareness and key social skills through active learning.The SEAL program uses games, props and situational...more
Boulder Climate Ventures is a graduate-level program that connects students primarily from business, engineering and science backgrounds to a growing network of experts, researchers and entrepreneurs...more
The UN's Science, Technology and Innovation Forum marks 10 years of bridging frontier knowledge and policy for sustainable development.World leaders will join pioneering scientists, innovators,...more
Foundation: Gates Foundation
Rich countries 'owe it to the world' to get themselves down to net zero emissions: Bill Gates.He called for the world to be more bold with innovation investments that seek to combat climate...more
Social Entrepreneurship
Spotlight
When it Comes to Social Enterprises, Failure is the Best Platform for Innovation
In the world of social enterprises, failure is a cringe-worthy moment nobody wants to talk about. But, social entrepreneurs can benefit from their failures.