‘The Only Way Forward Is Education’: Prada’s Sea Beyond Initiative Is The Call To Action We Need In Troubled Waters
Entering the narrow canals of Venice, water laps at the worn pavements. The reflection of the sea flickers on every surface. The salt-laced air clings to your skin. We dodge long, tar-coloured gondolas meticulously steered by boatmen in striped T-shirts, weaving our way through the tangled waterways. What better place to celebrate the beauty – and fragility – of our oceans than in a city quite literally built on water?
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We’re here to mark the opening of the Ocean Literacy Center on the island of San Servolo, just a short boat ride from Venice’s historic heart. The centre is the latest phase in Prada Group’s ongoing Sea Beyond initiative, a collaboration with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and its Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC), which launched in 2019 to raise awareness about ocean pollution and climate change among younger generations.
‘For us, the only way forward is education,’ says Lorenzo Bertelli, Head of Corporate Social Responsibility and Chief Marketing Officer at Prada Group. ‘This is physical place where people can come together and feel the power of the mission.’
Over the past five years, the Sea Beyond project has grown from an ambitious idea into a global programme. In collaboration with UNESCO-IOC and a network of marine biologists, government officials, researchers and educators, the initiative has delivered tailor-made training to secondary school teachers across the globe, from Berlin to Cape Town, New York to Shanghai. Students have engaged through online classes and interactive learning tools — now, they have a permanent, dedicated learning centre, too, surrounded by the glimmering waters of the Venetian lagoon.
‘This is not just the first place of its kind, but it’s also a symbol of our collective responsibility to protect the oceans,’ says Sandra Castañer, an oceans policy officer for the European Commission. ‘We’re hoping to build a community of ocean advocates across Europe.’
This new space is largely for students but also open to members of the local community, tourists and researchers. It's immersive and multi-sensory, blending science, art and storytelling in a way that reflects the deeply human side of the environmental crisis. ‘We often talk about sustainability in a moral and ideological way. But it’s important for everyone to take it seriously and set practical goals for themselves,’ says Bertelli. ‘We need to shift the conversation and give people the tools to understand.’
Venice is a location that really shows what’s at stake. The lagoon that cradles the city is a transitional ecosystem – where land, sea and mankind have coexisted for centuries. The mud banks, salt pans and channels have been a source of livelihood and protection since Venice’s early days as a trading power. But now, rising sea levels and increasingly erratic weather patterns threaten the very fabric of this floating city. A new study carried out by experts at the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV) suggests that Venice will be underwater by 2150.
‘Venice is one the most fragile cities in the eyes of rising sea levels,’ says Francesca Santoro, Senior Programme Officer for Ocean Literacy at UNESCO. ‘It’s a tangible example of what’s happening across the world – just sped up.’
As well as raising awareness, Prada Group has also been working hard to make positive change, too. In 2019, Prada launched its Re-Nylon project, which would replace all virgin nylon (a signature material for the brand) with a more sustainable alternative made from recycled plastic collected from landfill sites and oceans.
Education, however, is key to incentivising others to push for change too. It's more urgent now than ever, says the European Commission's Castañer, especially at a time when global leaders are retreating from hard-won climate commitments.
‘When we are better informed, we make better choices – that’s our only hope,’ says Castañer. ‘This ocean of ours has been so giving. And it's high time to give something back.’
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