Giving Oceans a Voice Through Art & Activism - Tre' Packard & Akira Biondo of PangeaSeed Foundation
My guests this week are Tre’ Packard and Akira Biondo, the husband and wife team who founded and co-founded the internationally recognized PangeaSeed Foundation and its global Sea Walls program. Both of these are built around a concept they call Artivism; a means of driving awareness around climate and ocean awareness using art as activism.
Our conversation dives into the founding of their organization, the ups, and downs they’ve faced, the milestones they’ve reached, and of course, what’s next after reaching their 10-year anniversary. If you are involved with a non-profit in any way, are an entrepreneur, a marketer, someone who cares about sustainability and our oceans, or are trying to figure out how to be in business with a friend or partner, this episode is for you.
Here are some of the Key Takeaways you’ll appreciate:
- The power of collaboration - Being open to evolving
- Persistence; getting through the tough times
- Staying connected to your passion to stay motivated
- When something works, run with it
- Building a genuine, organic community
- Prioritize lasting relationships
- Build a product that keeps people coming back
SDG Alignment: #4 Quality Education, #11 Sustainable Cities & Communities, #13 Climate Action, #14 Life Below Water, #17 Partnerships for the Goals (more at https://sdgs.un.org/goals)
PangeaSeed Foundation is a globally engaged nonprofit organization acting at the intersection of culture and environmentalism to further the conservation of our oceans. Their mission is to inspire ocean stewardship and action through SCIENCE, EDUCATION, and ARTIVISM (S.E.A.). Through their groundbreaking Sea Walls: Artists for Oceans public art program, PangeaSeed Foundation has created over 500 educational, ocean advocacy murals in 19 countries, bringing the ocean into streets across the globe.
Links: https://pangeaseed.org/ | https://seawalls.org/ | Sea Change: A Decade of Artivism for Oceans https://shop.pangeaseed.org/pages/sea-change-a-decade-of-artivism-for-oceans | Printed Oceans https://shop.pangeaseed.org/
About my guests:
Akira Biondo
Akira, originally from Switzerland, is the Director of Operations at PangeaSeed Foundation and a co-founder of the Sea Walls: Artists for Oceans program. Her passion for the environment stems from her extensive travels across the globe and experiencing firsthand humanity’s impact on the planet. With a background in Sustainability Studies and Cultural Anthropology, she believes that protecting our home planet for future generations requires an interdisciplinary approach that includes the arts, creative problem-thinking, and the voices of all people.
Tre’ Packard
Tré Packard is an internationally renowned public art curator and award-winning environmental photographer marrying both art and activism to cultivate a new era in marine conservation. As a passionate conservationist, Tre’ has traveled throughout Asia, documenting some of the most remote locations bringing to light never before documented fisheries contributing to the destruction of ocean ecosystems and the often illegal trade of threatened marine life. He is the creator of the Sea Walls: Artists for Oceans public art program, which has curated over 500 environmental ocean-themed public artworks in 19 countries since 2014. In addition, Tré is a lifelong scuba diver and PADI Dive Ambassador.
Also: Last week’s show - Be sure to check it out: https://www.theunderswell.com/podcasts/good-things-happening-just-under-the-surface/episodes/2147953248
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#sustainability #oceans #nonprofits #climate #artivism #seawalls #purpose #keeplearning #sharks #whales #art #founders #entrepreneurs
Intro/Outro music by QubeSounds from Pixabay.
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