The Birth of Ian’s Love for the Oceans
I’ve always been obsessed with Coral Reefs since I was in middle school. It started with winning a goldfish at the fair. Soon after: a 10-gallon tank, a 28-gallon tank, a 46-gallon tank, then a 125-gallon saltwater aquarium.
In order to afford this project, I started working for my local fish store when I was 14 for 3 years and also became scuba certified at 16.
This love for the oceans has brought me so much joy because there is nothing as beautiful as a fully thriving coral reef ecosystem. Unfortunately, as our standard of living rises, our oceans are dying faster each day. I recently spoke to a local dive master I met in the Dominican Republic and he mentioned that in just 3 years an entire reef has been 90% bleached. These sad stories are shaping the supposed inevitable fate our oceans face today.
How is The Sustainable Ocean Alliance Combatting Climate Change?
Now if you share my sentiment that things need to be done to put a stop to climate change than today’s guest will have you smiling from ear to ear. I first met Daniela a few years back through my friend Craig Dudenhoeffer. At the young age of 19, Daniela V. Fernandez founded Sustainable Ocean Alliance (SOA) as a college-room idea. Five years later, she has built SOA into a global organization that is cultivating and accelerating innovative solutions to protect and sustain the health of the ocean.
With phenomenal speed, SOA has created the world’s largest network of young ocean leaders – through establishing a presence in over 50 countries and launching the first-ever Ocean Solutions Accelerator to support ocean start-ups,
SOA has also partnered with corporations such as Lindblad Expeditions, the Economist, NGOs, and governments. These include Indonesia and the European Union to develop technological solutions that can address the greatest threats facing our planet.
Daniela has been recognized for her work by former U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, President Bill Clinton, and EU Commissioner Karmenu Vella. Daniela is also a contributor to National Geographic. She has been a panel and keynotes speaker at multiple high-level events including The Economist World Ocean Summit, United Nations, Net Impact Conference, U.S. Capitol Hill Ocean Week and World Ocean Festival.
In this episode, Daniela speaks about:
- The most important activities you can participate in to help shape our future
- The current state of climate control
- How she plans on accelerating 100 ocean companies in the next 3 years
- The struggles with paving the way in a new industry.
- and Key Conversations that helped make SOA what it is today
