(By Ernesto Cooke) – The Mirpuri Foundation is a non-profit foundation set up in Portugal by the businessman and philanthropist Paulo Mirpuri as a vehicle to manage his family’s charitable donations and to support specific projects in aerospace, medical research, marine conservation, wildlife conservation, and social responsibility.
In the context of its marine conservation programme, it is promoting a number of projects and initiatives related to ocean conservation, as well as events to consolidate these objectives in the future.
Besides specific projects such as the “Save the Ocean” campaign, which covers a range of actions to increase public awareness of the need to protect oceans and marine species, the Mirpuri Foundation also aims to spread a message to increase awareness among global authorities of the undeniable importance of protecting oceans and of the dangers faced by the whole planet, as a consequence of both pollutions and the effects of climate change and human actions.
The Foundation is spreading the message out to the public and to governments across the globe, warning them of the levels of pollution caused by fossil fuels, with the emission of billions of tonnes of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases into the earth’s atmosphere, with the oceans currently absorbing about a third of this pollution, in other words, 22 million tons a day.
Better World
In this worrying scenario, the Mirpuri Foundation aims to lead by example, in order to ensure the greatest possible awareness of the need to protect the oceans and marine species.
The Mirpuri Foundation’s plan of activities for 2017-2019 includes the promotion of initiatives to transmit a clear message accessible to as many people as possible.
In this context, its chairman, Paulo Mirpuri, will make his first transatlantic crossing on board a VOR70 racing yacht, in order to publicise one of the foundation’s most important slogans: “you can’t change the direction of the wind but you can adjust your sails to reach your destination”.
The voyage will represent the start of a more ambitious sailing project that will include sponsorship of a Portuguese team in a sailing event of global importance, such as the Volvo Ocean Race.
These projects thus introduce the numerous ocean-related initiatives that will be found in the future programme of the Mirpuri Foundation.
“In ocean sailing, we leave our safe harbour – land – and set out into the unknown, looking after ourselves for days, weeks, and months on end. When difficulties arise (and during such a long voyage there are always more or less unexpected events), we can only rely on ourselves and on the commitment that survival requires from us.”
The symbolic value of this act – crossing an ocean, confronting the unknown, facing difficulties, and arriving safely – is important to publicise the message of the Mirpuri Foundation, whose chairman does not hesitate to go far beyond his comfort zone to achieve the objectives set out for a greater good.
The Mirpuri Foundation is also synonymous with technology, research, investigation, training, and innovation in its contribution to a better world, as expressed in its motto – “for a better world”.
Through partnerships with governments, entrepreneurs, communities, and individuals, the Mirpuri Foundation supports a variety of projects in aerospace, medical research, ocean, and marine conservation, wildlife conservation, and social responsibility.
“Our work is based on science, our scope is international and our mission is to create a world in which people live and prosper in harmony with nature,” Mirpuri said.
“Leading by example is the best way to transform mentalities and to show that it is possible to adopt attitudes that make a difference – such as, for example, avoiding products and food that cause damage to the environment, using clean power, sailing or cycling, recycling!”
