Two mountains, one mission
The Gstaad Yacht Club is excited to join forces with The Klosters Forum, a global environmental platform, situated in Grisons. On Monday, 17 February 2020 a stellar cohort of speakers will be taking the audience into the depth of the oceans, discussing the charms and challenges of the deep blue. Members of the GYC as well as guests and friends of The Klosters Forum are getting together for a fascinating evening of talks, films and drinks.

A panel discussion is moderated by Markus Reymann, co-founder of the Thyssen-Bornemisza Art 21 Academy. TBA21–Academy is the exploratory soul of Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary and an itinerant site of cultural production and transdisciplinary research. Conceived in 2011 as a moving platform on the oceans, it brings together artists, researchers, and thinkers from various fields concerned with today’s most urgent ecological, social, and economic issues. Through its expeditions on sea and land, the Academy seeks to reinvent the culture of exploration in the 21st century, while inciting knowledge creation, new modes of collaboration, and the coproduction of solutions for the pressing environmental challenges of today.

Amongst the panellists is Dr Arturo Castillo Castillo, who is specialist in energy policy and techno-economic analysis of waste to energy and materials technology. He has worked as a consultant in the area of innovation policy relevant to hydrogen and fuel cells, where he co-authored the UK fuel cells development and deployment roadmap. At the Centre for Environmental Policy he has worked in two main areas. He has worked as lead-researcher in biological and thermal waste treatment techniques. He is member of the Industrial Symbiosis Platform of the European Climate Knowledge and Innovation Community, which preceded the introduction of the Sustainable Production Systems theme.

William Winram, another of the panellists, is an ocean explorer, filmmaker, photographer and world record breaking athlete working with governments, scientists and the private sector to conduct critical conservation-focused research and awareness-building exploration projects globally. For more than 10 years, William and his team have been collaborating with scientists, national and local governments, as well as companies and private donors as they seek to not only support key research but also to communicate about the expedition process, sharing with the world the challenges, solutions and the need for change.

An innovator in design he has, in collaboration with industry, created new shark tagging methods and materials to more effectively study difficult-to-approach shark species. To date he has led over 28 open ocean expeditions, which have resulted in 9 published scientific papers that contributed to new government policies and expanded protection in many different marine ecosystems around the world. His photographs and films have been seen by millions globally and his exceptional stories and story telling skills make him a sought-after speaker. He has been captivating Gstaad audiences since 2012 in his collaborations with the Gstaad Yacht Club and their Ocean Stewardship initiatives.

Castillo and Winram will be joined by Clare Brook, CEO of the Blue Marine Foundation, who was a pioneer in environmental investigation and sustainable investment management. Blue Marine Foundation fills a niche in the world of NGOs, enabling marine conservation to happen fast and effectively. The team of Blue Marine Foundation is well connected and determined; they seize opportunities as they arise and get things done. They forge new partnerships and challenge the status quo.

Gstaad Yacht Club