Two Dutch projects in the running for Prince William’s Earthshot Prize
Two Dutch projects are in the running to win an Earthshot Prize - British Crown Prince William’s initiative to stimulate sustainable ideas. The Great Bubble Barrier and the city of Amsterdam are among the 15 contenders who compete in five categories for a prize of 1 million pounds, or about 1.15 million euros.
The Bubble Barrier is a curtain of air bubbles that removes plastic from rivers. It pumps air into the water from the riverbed, lifting plastic to the surface where it can be collected. It is already in use in various places in the Netherlands.
“We’ve known for a few months now, and now we can finally say how thrilled we are,” Francis Zoet of The Great Bubble Barrier said to NOS. The Dutch project competes against two others in the “Revive our Oceans” category. “It would be great if we win the award, but it already means that we can participate in an entire Earthsot Prize program and get support from their network. That is incredibly valuable.”
The municipality of Amsterdam is nominated for its ambition to achieve a fully circular economy before 2050. The city aims to halve its use of new raw materials by 2030 and have a fully circular economy by 2050. It is focused on reducing food waste, shifting residents’ mindset from “use-and-dispose” to “rethink-and-reuse,” and recycling building materials for new construction, among other things. Amsterdam competes against two others in the “Build a Waste-free World” category.
Amsterdam alderman Zita Pels told NOS the nomination is a token of appreciation. If the city wins, the municipality will invest even more in initiatives working towards the circular economy. “Amsterdam wants to phase out waste as quickly possible and significantly reduce the use of raw materials,” Pels said.
The Earthshot Prizes were awarded for the first time in 2021. Its name is derived from United States President John F. Kennedy’s “moonshot” initiative to make the journey to the moon possible with large investments of time, money, and knowledge. Prince William hopes his Earthsot project can jump-start sustainable projects in a similar way.
The five winners will be announced during a gala in Boston on December 2.
