top of page
Search

UFO's next steps - After UFO's first event at Steiner House in January 2025

9th January 2025 UFO's First Conference in Rudolph Steiner House (Photograph by Alice Lubbock)
9th January 2025 UFO's First Conference in Rudolph Steiner House (Photograph by Alice Lubbock)

A few weeks ago, United For Ocean had its first meeting, at Steiner House.


Thank you to all our speakers and attendees for making it down and making it a fantastic evening. Read on for more about the event below, with plenty of pictures, which you are welcome to share!


The first step of our mission was a success: to connect people from different fields with a shared goal to protect the ocean. Already, UFO's event has meant there are new collaborations and we are happy to see people working together.


We are a nascent organisation, and this was just the first of our events and plans - so we will be sending out details of the next one soon!


In the meantime, please encourage others to join by signing up and we invite you to follow our new social media links:





Partnerships on website


We also invite you to profile on our website as an affiliated organisation or individual.


This hub will profile the work of those protecting the ocean and interested in collaborating. As well as this, it would show your support for working with United for Ocean, so we can grow as a community!


If you are an organisation, we would need a logo and short mission statement of about 50-100 words. Please include any calls to action (e.g. join, donate, collaborations welcome) or links to websites and social media. 


If you are an individual, we would need a short bio of about 50-100 words. Please include any calls to action or skill sets (e.g. filmmaking, finance, web design, community organiser) as well as links to websites and social media.


Please send profiles to united4ocean@gmail.com



Our first event at Steiner House



Our first event marked the beginning of connecting people working to protect the ocean. We provided people a space to share their different approaches and perspectives, to get to know each other and work cooperatively in future.


As co-founders of UFO, Berit and I invited a group of brilliant speakers as individuals or representatives of organisations who gave short talks on what they were working on or involved with. Yet, it wasn't just about listening to speakers - we encouraged all attendees to have a chance to speak to show why they were there.


We had conservation researchers, charities and NGOs, sustainable finance experts, social justice and environmental activists, entrepreneurs, politicians, engineers, photographers, archivists and academics from Queen Mary University, UCL, Oxford and Natural History Museum in evolutionary biology, anthropology, conservation and molecular research.


Topics discussed included encouraging whale and dolphin conservation via education, research programmes that include community involvement, the role of finance and ESG, targeted activism using art and the media, academic research on animal ethics and the influence of law, and the importance of nurturing cultural connections to the solution as well as the problem, considered alternative economic frameworks, as well as recognised versus underhand polluting.


Here are some of the photos from the event:


Roc Sandford represents Ocean Rebellion, an artist collective that draws attention to preventable ocean harm, such as by-catch from tuna fishing from well-known brands, and how the media can be drawn to cover aesthetically impressive protests
Roc Sandford represents Ocean Rebellion, an artist collective that draws attention to preventable ocean harm, such as by-catch from tuna fishing from well-known brands, and how the media can be drawn to cover aesthetically impressive protests
Prof Christophe Eizaguirre of Queen Mary University of London, presenting his group's turtle conservation research in Cabo Verde, having a measurably positive impact on the local community as well as raising endangered turtle populations.
Prof Christophe Eizaguirre of Queen Mary University of London, presenting his group's turtle conservation research in Cabo Verde, having a measurably positive impact on the local community as well as raising endangered turtle populations.
Berit Legrand (UFO Co-founder) presents The Animal Fund, her international charity focused on education about the essential lives of whales and dolphins to our world and reducing plastic pollution
Berit Legrand (UFO Co-founder) presents The Animal Fund, her international charity focused on education about the essential lives of whales and dolphins to our world and reducing plastic pollution
Jacqueline Bond, co-founder of UFO, introduces the evening with the purpose of the initiative: share knowledge, connect and collaborate.
Jacqueline Bond, co-founder of UFO, introduces the evening with the purpose of the initiative: share knowledge, connect and collaborate.
Dr Nicholas Anim of Transition Town and researcher of inclusion and diversity in environmental movements discusses the problems of overfishing in Ghana and the need for alternative economics.
Dr Nicholas Anim of Transition Town and researcher of inclusion and diversity in environmental movements discusses the problems of overfishing in Ghana and the need for alternative economics.
Katariina Hynninen of LSE discusses her philosophical work in animal sentience, specifically cetacean (group including whales and dolphins) ethics.
Katariina Hynninen of LSE discusses her philosophical work in animal sentience, specifically cetacean (group including whales and dolphins) ethics.
Luke Douglas-Hone, known as the Coastline Runner, and founder of A Future Without Rubbish, discusses his work to cut plastic waste by beach clean ups, but ultimately tackling the source.
Luke Douglas-Hone, known as the Coastline Runner, and founder of A Future Without Rubbish, discusses his work to cut plastic waste by beach clean ups, but ultimately tackling the source.
Louis Legrand of 2PM on their approach to ESG, on the challenges and opportunities of realigning finance to be beneficial to the ocean and environmental causes.
Louis Legrand of 2PM on their approach to ESG, on the challenges and opportunities of realigning finance to be beneficial to the ocean and environmental causes.
Daniele de Winther on geoengineering and the impact on our oceans and weather systems.
Daniele de Winther on geoengineering and the impact on our oceans and weather systems.
Dr Amy Munro-Faure on her work at Cambridge Zero, emphasising the impact of education on good environmental practices and futures and the importance of multilateral cooperation.
Dr Amy Munro-Faure on her work at Cambridge Zero, emphasising the impact of education on good environmental practices and futures and the importance of multilateral cooperation.
Sangeeta Laudus of Bright Tide, how to engage businesses to make them prioritise projects for biodiversity and climate chance.
Sangeeta Laudus of Bright Tide, how to engage businesses to make them prioritise projects for biodiversity and climate chance.

Once again we want to thank everyone for attending and contributing to a wonderful event.


Connecting people with a similar goal in mind means also being able to listen to our differences in opinion and methodologies. Unlike the famed echo chambers we usually occupy, we wanted this event to be present a spectrum of views that were engaging and informative. As well as this, we want to connect people across different fields - maybe a conservation researcher could do with help from someone in PR, maybe a filmmaker wants to work with someone in activism. Here they can get to know each other.


United for Ocean is made in recognition that we can all do better to listen to each other and cooperate in our efforts to protect the world. We want to find ways to facilitate connection so that actions are more efficient. Already we have connected many of our attendees, and see collaborations forming.


We welcome you to invite others to join, and will be sending out more information about our next event soon!


Thank you for reading and we look forward to seeing you at the next event.


Jacqueline Bond

Co-founder



 
 
 

Comments

bottom of page