Since 2018, Innoceana’s mission in marine conservation is done in correspondence with our 3 objectives; innovation, education, and collaboration. This past September, we were able to intersect these missions by proudly exhibiting at the 9th Annual Net Zero conference in Los Angeles, California – the largest net zero building event in the world.
The net zero concept aims to influence companies towards a net zero energy, zero carbon, and climate resilience future. The Net Zero conference brings like minded industry leaders from over 53 countries together every year to discuss exciting and innovative methods to create a greener, more responsibly built environment. Some of the industries and partners joining the Net Zero conference this year were 1% for the Planet, Verdical Group, Agriculture, Buildings, Energy, Fashion, Food & Beverage, Materials, Personal Care, Technology, Transit, Waste, and Water to name a few. The conference featured educational sessions, inspiring keynote speakers, and an interactive expo hall.
This annual conference is paramount to marine conservation and Innoceana’s mission because it allows us a direct platform to collaborate and educate frontrunners from multidisciplinary backgrounds to join us in the fight for climate change! What sets this event apart from others is that it shows the world is taking responsibility, and working together to make an effort to change company standards to become carbon neutral, not just conservation organizations.
As one of the few non-profit organizations at the event, we had the best time meeting so many industry professionals, networking, and highlighting Innoceana’s role in a net zero future. Our booth displayed virtual reality (through VR goggles) of the seagrass meadows in Tenerife and coral reefs in Caño Island that took our booth visitors on an underwater journey through our conservation work. To serve as a backdrop to the engaging conversations happening throughout the day, we screened our documentary “Entangled in Costa Rica” —produced in collaboration with The Vegan Pirates— and videos of marine life affected by the environmental decisions we make. It’s also worth noting that few could resist approaching our booth to enjoy delicious passionfruit and guava Costa Rican plant based chocolates that we offered as takeaways. We were able to see firsthand every individual’s face light up as we spoke about the research we are conducting, and the work we are doing to protect marine life. This made many industry leaders excited for Innoceana’s mission, and motivated to see how they could support our non profit towards a more sustainable future.
It was very surreal and amazing to see the interconnectedness between the industry I used to work in (construction engineering) and marine conservation (the industry I now work in) working towards a common goal! I feel fortunate to have been able to participate at an event that convenes the foremost leaders in the net zero building movement every year where I was able to spend time with some of the most inspiring people across so many industries. It also left me feeling inspired by CEO & Founder, Carlos Mallo Molina and Board Member, Eric Larsen who attended the conference with me and the entire Innoceana team around the world working passionately to protect the ocean every single day.
