“We are celebrating eight years since the Urban Sea Institute was founded and eight years of our partnership with OceanPact. We have the same goals: to learn about, discover and preserve the ocean,” said Ricardo Gomes, director of the Urban Sea Institute.

Last week, the Urban Sea Institute participated in Rio Innovation Week at Pier Mauá in downtown Rio de Janeiro. With support from OceanPact, the institute, which works to promote knowledge about the marine environment in urban centers, hosted an immersive experience space, taking the public to the bottom of the sea through scenography and virtual reality. “It is a joy to be able to bring society closer to the oceans,” Gomes said.

On August 13, the Urban Sea Institute’s director took part in a debate called “Oceans, Climate and Blue Economy: Strategies for a Sustainable and Resilient Future,” in which he emphasized the importance of drawing inspiration from the oceans to reinvent ourselves as human beings.

In another recent appearance, on the podcast of the Rio de Janeiro State Secretariat for the Environment and Sustainability, Gomes highlighted the need to educate children from an early age about the oceans and how to preserve them. He pointed out that bringing children into contact with marine species naturally awakens a spirit of conservation.

In June, during the Third United Nations Conference on Oceans (UNOC3), the institute and OceanPact jointly hosted an exclusive screening of the documentary “How Much Is the Blue Economy Worth?” This film reflects on the reality of the blue economy and possible ways to combine economic development with the regeneration of marine ecosystems.