Gunter Pauli, the guru of the Blue Economy, to speak at Sun&Blue Congress

Sun&Blue Congress, international congress of Tourism and Blue Economy, promoted by beon. Worldwide and sponsored by the City of Almeria, Almeria Provincial Council and the Ministry of Sustainability, Environment and Blue Economy of the Andalusian Government, outlines the panel of Keynotes Speakers that will be in its second edition and will take place from 20 to 22 November at the Palacio de Exposiciones y Congresos 'Cabo de Gata - Ciudad de Almería'.

Gunter Pauli, better known as the creator of the Blue Economy concept, will be the keynote speaker on the first day of Sun&Blue Congress. The opening ceremony of the new edition is scheduled on that day, November 20th; eleven round tables corresponding to Technology and Ports and Maritime Industry as the ‘Welcome Party’. 

The second day of Sun&Blue Congress will focus on Energy, Islands and Territories, Coasts and Beaches, and Culture and Gastronomy, with a gala dinner and the Sun&Blue 2024 Awards as social events. The last day will focus on Financing, Hospitality, Sports and will host the closing ceremony. On each of the days of celebration, Sun&Blue Congress will feature a Keynote Speaker.

In addition, Sun&Blue Congress will have an exhibition area where companies of the sector will attend to showcase their latest services and products and an area for scientific dissemination. There will also be an area where organizations and associations will hold side events and a networking space. In total, Sun&Blue Congress will occupy the 7,200 square meters of space available at the Palacio de Exposiciones y Congresos de Almería.

Gunter Pauli, in addition to being a speaker, will also participate in Sun&Blue Congress as a member of the Honorary Committee together with H.M. King Felipe VI and Paul Holthus, founding president and CEO of the World Ocean Council.

Who is Gunter Pauli

Considered the “father” of the Blue Economy, his entrepreneurial activities span business, culture, science, politics and the environment. Under his leadership, the company Ecover pioneered the creation of a green factory in 1992. He founded the Zero Emissions Research and Initittives (ZERI) organization at the United Nations University in Tokyo and then established the ZERI Global Network as a foundation, redefining production and consumption in industrial clusters inspired by natural systems.

His visionary approach, backed by dozens of field projects, earned him an invitation to present his cases at the World Expo 2000 in Germany. There he built the largest bamboo pavilion in modern times, presenting seven innovative initiatives. His latest initiatives include a solution to the plastic soup floating in the oceans and the creation of a protected area with islands to prevent sea level rise.

He has been a guest lecturer and professor at universities on all continents and a board member of NGOs and private companies in Asia, the United States and Latin America. He has advised governments and entrepreneurs on how to implement breakthrough innovations that will enable today's society to better meet basic needs, starting with water, food, housing, health and energy. 

He is a member of the World Academy of Arts and Sciences (San Francisco, USA), a founding member of the Club of Budapest (Hungary) and a member of the Club of Rome. He has published 20 books translated into more than 30 languages and has written 365 fables that bring science and emotion to children, distributing more than 17 million copies worldwide in more than 100 languages.