FREEPORT, Grand Bahama – Minister for Grand Bahama Grand Bahama Ginger Moxey congratulated Coral Vita on winning the Earthshot Prize on Sunday, October 17, 2021.
A post on the Ministry of Grand Bahama’s Facebook page noted that Coral Vita was the winner in the “Revive Our Oceans” category “for its contributions to the restoration of coral reefs by growing resilient, sustainable coral and replanting them for further growth and reproduction in their natural habitat.”
“Indeed, the innovative work of Coral Vita has put Grand Bahama Island and The Bahamas on the map,” the Facebook post noted. “The Minister for Grand Bahama is excited about Coral Vita’s continued achievements, which support the government’s progressive agenda to grow our blue economy.”
On Thursday, October 14, Sam Teicher and Gator Halpern, founders of Coral Vita, met with the Minister for Grand Bahama, to discuss the company’s achievements to date and future plans for the continued restoration of coral reefs around Grand Bahama Island.
The Minister and co-founders discussed the importance of healthy coral reefs to our ecosystem, as they protect our coasts and fisheries as well as provide unique underwater attractions for divers.
Coral Vita is already gaining global recognition for its contributions to environmental preservation and sustainability, having applied scientific methods to successfully grow coral on a land-based farm and plant this coral back into our reefs for continued growth and reproduction.
The Minister noted the government’s special interest in agriculture, fisheries and natural resources and was pleased to discuss potential opportunities for eco-tourism and community education in partnership with Coral Vita.
As the Washington Post reported on Sunday, October 17, Coral Vita was one of five “innovators” who “won 1 million pounds each at the inaugural awards ceremony for Prince Williams’s Earthshot Prize, a kind of Oscars for green projects that the British royal hopes will highlight creative solutions to the world’s most pressing environmental challenges.”
Prince William founded the environmental prize — self-styled as the “most prestigious global environment prize in history” — after becoming disappointed with world leaders’ lackluster efforts to combat climate change, he has said in his book on the initiative,” according to the Washington Post
“The winners included a green hydrogen technology that can be used as a carbon-free alternative to fossil fuels; an India-based outfit that makes low-cost smokeless machines that convert agricultural waste into fuels and fertilizers; and a team from the Bahamas that grows coral farms on land that can be replanted in oceans,” The Post reported.
The Post added: The winners were selected from a pool of more than 750 candidates chosen by a panel of more than 200 experts. The judges included the British TV naturalist David Attenborough, Jordan’s Queen Rania, actress Cate Blanchett, singer Shakira and former basketball star Yao Ming.
“Keeping with the eco-friendly theme, the winners didn’t collect their prizes onstage; rather, they were patched in via video from around the world.”
Coral Vita won The 2021 Earthshot Prize in the “Revive Our Oceans” category and its victory was announced during a live BBC television show aired from the lawn of the Grand Lucayan Resort in Freeport starting at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, October 17.
The Coral Vita Conservancy was started by members of Coral Vita Inc, an award-winning mission-driven company that works to protect ocean health by scaling up innovative reef restoration techniques. The Conservancy is able to increase impact in the communities and ecosystems where they work, while benefiting from Coral Vita’s infrastructure and staff in order to implement charitable projects.
Structurally, the Coral Vita Conservancy is a project within the larger non-profit Social and Environmental Entrepreneurs (SEE). SEE is a registered 501c3 organization, and donations to the Coral Vita Conservancy will be processed by SEE who in turn provide charitable tax receipts for all donations.
Visit Coral Vita’s website at: https://www.coralvita.co/
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