Having just added a Best Refit Award to its annual Awards for Design and Leadership, the International Superyacht Society (ISS) is now releasing details on a second new award. It’s the Fabien Cousteau Blue Award, an environmental honor.
The ISS has actually been working with the award’s namesake, Fabien Cousteau, for quite some time. The grandchild of the famous Jacques Cousteau, Fabien is well-versed in the man-made dangers facing the sea. He turned a personal love of the oceans into a career. After receiving a degree in environmental economics from Boston University, Fabien assisted companies in using products and practices that prioritized environmental sustainability. He joined his father and sister for a PBS series, “Ocean Adventures,” which aired from 2006 to 2009. Currently, among other things, Fabien volunteers with New York City youth to teach them about the water. He also founded Plant a Fish, a non-profit that reintroduces aquatic species of plants and animals in environmentally stressed areas.
No wonder, then, that the ISS Fabien Cousteau Blue Award will honor stewardship of the marine environment. Candidates need to have already exhibited environmental leadership and dedication to oceanic conservation. Furthermore, they must be focused on employing technology to preserve the waterways, and to do so in a realistic, achievable way. Ultimately, the goal is for the candidate to inspire further combination of technology and resource management in the design, engineering, and construction of megayachts. Fabien Cousteau and a panel of judges will select the winner.
Nominations are welcome from industry representatives and yacht owners alike. Visit the ISS website to download a nomination form, which is due by August 19. Further nominations are welcome for ISS’s other non-yacht awards. These are the Business/Business Person of the Year, Distinguished Crew Award, Excellence in Innovation, and Leadership Award.
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