We are happy to announce that the German UNESCO Commission and the Federal Ministry of Education and Research have once again appointed Michael Walther to the jury of the National Award for ‘Education for Sustainable Development’. This prize is awarded every two years, comes with a total of €100,000 in prize money, and will be presented in Berlin in May. More than 200 initiatives, organisations, and associations have applied this year.

The Ocean Re-CREATION Challenge is a trans-regional hackathon in Schleswig-Holstein about protecting the coast and the ocean. Scientists, students or trainees and employees from various fields can develop, prototype or code new solutions over 4.5 days. The ORCC is organized by TransmarTech, the transfer center for maritime technologies. Supported by the state and the EU, this center boosts maritime, sustainable innovations. 

We are delighted that Michael Walther is the patron of the ORCC this year. In this role, he will support the teams with his expertise and network in order to develop practical solutions for better ocean protection.

Climate, ocean and species protection are closely linked and they are all united by the fact that we need to act now. We need to rethink our priorities as a society. Iceland is not just a place where the sea, cliffs, red-hot lava, ice-cold glaciers and northern lights meet, it is also a place where concrete solutions are being worked on. Michael Walther travelled to the island for three weeks in October to gain first-hand impressions. In addition to the melting glaciers, the focus was on intensive discussions with the people who are actively working on solutions - whether it be technical options for storing CO2 or social change. The feeling he took away from the trip was that we can make a difference if we finally act together. 

The documentation of this trip will be published in 2025, further information can be found here or on our social media channels.

The Federal Ministry of Education and Research and the German Commission for UNESCO presented the National Award - Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) on November 8. Dr. Andrea Ruyter-Petznek, Head of the Department of Education in Regions, Education for Sustainable Development at the Federal Ministry of Education and Research, and Dr. Roman Luckscheiter, Secretary-General of the German Commission for UNESCO, presented the award to the actors for their outstanding commitment. We were able to impress the jury with our exemplary commitment to ESD and our special dedication to the United Nations' Global Sustainability Goals.

We are delighted to have received the national "Education for Sustainable Development" award and will continue to work over the next 15 years to anchor climate justice and species and marine conservation more firmly in people's minds!

We are very pleased that the Zero Emissions project has been honoured by the state capital Kiel and the Lord Mayor, Dr. Ulf Kämpfer. The long-standing commitment and environmental education were the focus of the ceremony. We would like to express our sincere thanks for the award and promise that our motivation will not decrease. We look forward to exciting future projects with Kiel as our home port!