Giving Back 1%: SEA What YOU Did

With PP’s headquarters in Haarlem located just a few short kilometers from the lovely North Sea beach, the decision to make a donation from our “Giving Back To Nature” fund was an easy one. Introducing…

STICHTING DE NOORDZEE

For over forty years, the Stichting de Noordzee (Dutch name for the North Sea foundation) has been the leading organization when it comes to the protection and sustainable use of the North Sea. Brace yourself for their compelling pitch.

“The North Sea is an incredibly rich sea with a great diversity of marine life. Yet not everyone is familiar with the beauty and importance of our sea. Did you know, for example, that the Dutch part of the North Sea is larger in area than the mainland? At 57,480 km², the Dutch North Sea is our largest nature reserve.”

You’d think that would be worth taking great care of, wouldn’t you? But it doesn’t really seem that way (yet)…

Here’s what we read on the website of the foundation:
“The Netherlands was actually supposed to achieve ‘good environmental status’ by 2020: a state in which the sea is clean, healthy, and productive, boasts great ecological diversity, and is used only sustainably. For example, some seabird populations are now faring worse, and the seafloor is still being substantially disturbed.”

STICHTING DE NOORDZEE to the rescue

With four key priorities, the sea heroes at the foundation are working toward a healthier North Sea. Here’s a rundown of them:

• Space for Nature
  “For a healthy North Sea, it’s important that large areas are protected from human activity. There, animal and plant species get the peace and space they need to recover. That makes the entire North Sea healthier.”

• Sustainable Food
  “Fishing is a key pillar of our economy and culture. At the same time, fishing can be harmful to the North Sea’s natural environment. Stichting de Noordzee is committed to making fishing more sustainable, as well as to exploring the many other ways to harvest sustainable food from the sea.”
  
  *Ever heard of “Blue Growth”? It refers to the cultivation and further development of new forms of food from the sea. Think: seaweeds, sea vegetables, and algae.
  
  You heard it here first: blue food is the new green food.

• Nature-Friendly Energy
  “With offshore wind farms, gas extraction, and solar energy, the North Sea plays a key role in energy generation, and that role will only grow in the coming years. It’s important that nature is also protected and given the chance to recover.”
  
  *A great example: the “De Rijke Noordzee” (translated: the rich North Sea) collaborative project (https://www.derijkenoordzee.nl/) installs artificial reefs in wind farms, releases oysters to stimulate marine life, and investigates how nature conservation can become an integral part of the construction of every wind farm.

• Clean Sea
  “A healthy North Sea is a clean North Sea. A sea where everyone who uses it also takes responsibility. That means no one leaves trash in the water or on the beach. That fishermen neatly pack up their nets and ropes. And that ships don’t discharge paint, plastic, or cargo residues, or emit harmful substances.”

As you can see, our new friends at stichting de noordzee are going above and beyond for the future of the North Sea. To each their own—we know more about clothes ;-) But we’re happy to do our (your) part in the form of a donation. We’re certain it’s money well spent.

Final scene. Can you picture it? Standing on a pristine, golden-yellow North Sea beach with a sustainably grown algae cocktail in hand, while a flock of perfectly healthy North Sea seagulls feasts on washed-up shrimp instead of swarming en masse over your plate of fried fish. And the sea shimmers like a shell…

More info: Stichting De Noordzee website