Dutch initiatives nominated for Prince William’s “Environmental Nobel”

Two Dutch projects have the chance to win an Earthshot award, the British Crown Prince William’s initiative to stimulate sustainable ideas. Together with thirteen other contenders, they compete in five categories for a prize of £ 1 million, approximately € 1.15 million.

The only Dutch project chosen from hundreds of proposals is the Bubble Barrier, a curtain of air bubbles that removes plastic from rivers. It is already happening in different places deployed in the Netherlands: By pumping air into the water from the river bed, the plastic floats to the surface, where it is collected.

Francis Zoet, one of the initiators of The Great Bubble Barrier, is honored with the final place. The organization is competing with two other initiatives for the Earthshot Award for Improving the Oceans.

“We have known this for a few months and now we can finally say how excited we are. It would be great if we win the award, but it means we can participate in an entire Earthshot Prize program and support anyway.” their network. This is already incredibly valuable. “

If the organization wins the £ 1 million, the money will go towards making the concept suitable for waterways in densely populated areas and cities. The first pipes are already found in Amsterdam and Katwijk, among others, but with limited resources, bubble barriers could also be created in Asia, for example.

In addition, the municipality of Amsterdam was nominated for the ambition to create a fully circular economy before 2050. For example, the city is committed to recycling building materials in new buildings. Councilor Zita Pels defines the appointment as a sign of appreciation.

Amsterdam is competing for an Earthshot award in a category other than the Great Bubble barrier. If the city wins, the municipality wants to invest even more in initiatives in the field of the circular economy. “Amsterdam wants to phase out waste as quickly as possible and significantly reduce the use of raw materials.”

The prize was first awarded in 2021 as a sort of Nobel Prize for the environment in support of sustainable projects. Its name derives from that of President Kennedy moon shot, the initiative to make the journey to the moon possible with a large investment of time, knowledge and money. Prince William hopes to start sustainable projects in a similar way.

In addition to Dutch projects, there are thirteen other initiatives nominated all over the world. For example, there is a company in Oman that converts CO2 into rock, a Portuguese algae protector, a Chinese team that makes desert areas fertile and electric transport from Kenya.

On December 2, a gala in Boston will reveal which five winners will receive £ 1 million in the categories nature, clean air, ocean restoration, sustainable waste treatment and climate. Last year’s award went to Costa Rican policies to pay citizens to plant trees, coral renewal in the Bahamas, and food banks in Milan, among others.