Zero Emissions Research and Initiatives

Zero Emissions Research and Initiatives (ZERI) is a decentralized global network founded by Gunter Pauli in 1994 at the United Nations University (UNU), with support from the Japanese government. [1][2] Initially headquartered at UNDP in Geneva and later at IUCN in Gland, ZERI now operates as a decentralized network with 34 project offices worldwide. [3]

History

ZERI participated in the World Expo in 2000 in Hanover, Germany. For the event they built a bamboo pavilion.[4] The pavilion was constructed almost entirely from Guadua, a local bamboo species in Colombia.[5]

ZERI was recognized in 2009 by the Specialty Coffee Association of America for a 15-year project in Columbia that worked with coffee farms to use the unharvested plant material and trimmings to grow Shiitake mushrooms. The project was estimated to have created 10,000 jobs.[6][7]

The Zero Emissions Commitment (ZEC) is a concept in climate science that explores how Earth's system processes may evolve after achieving net-zero carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions and the potential effects on global surface temperatures. [8]

Gunter Pauli initiated The Blue Economy concept in 2009. The book was accepted on November 2, 2009, as a Report to the Club of Rome and was published in 2010.[9][10]

At the 20th anniversary of ZERI's creation on November 12, 2014, at the UNU in Tokyo, it was reported that 34 organizations from around the world, associated with and inspired by this initiative of Gunter Pauli, had implemented 188 projects, mobilized €4 billion in capital, and generated approximately 3 million jobs. ^[citation needed]

ZERI International board

The board consists of the following people: ^[citation needed]

• The Rt Hon Anders Wijkman (Sweden)

Co-President of the Club of Rome

Member of the Swedish Royal Academy of Sciences

Former Member of the European Parliament and President of Globe Europe (2000–2009)

• Prof. Dr. Ashok Khosla (India)

Chairman of Development Alternatives Group

Former Chairman of IUCN

• Prof. Dr. Heitor Gurgulino de Souza (Brazil)

President of the World Academy of Arts and Sciences

Former Rector of the UNU (1988–1997)

• Prof. Dr. Jorge Reynolds Pombo (Colombia)

Scientist and Inventor

• Prof. Yasuhiro Sakakibara (Japan)

Entrepreneur and Philanthropist

References

1. "The ZERI Genesis". University of Namibia. 2009-08-26. Archived from the original on 2009-08-26. Retrieved 2023-07-04.
2. "GLOBAL ZERI Looks at Present and Future". www.scizerinm.org. Archived from the original on 2023-07-04. Retrieved 2024-12-30.
3. "Zeri". www.geographiesofchange.net. Retrieved 2023-07-04.
4. Vélez, Simón; Villegas, Marcelo (2016-05-10), "ZERI Pavilion, EXPO 2000, Hanover, Germany", Building with Bamboo, De Gruyter, pp. 134–135, doi:10.1515/9783035608656-035, ISBN 978-3-0356-0865-6, retrieved 2023-07-04
5. "ZERI Pavilion - Expo Hannover". Architizer, Inc. Retrieved 26 January 2025.
6. "ZERI Foundation Awarded For Turning Coffee Waste Into Mushrooms". Greener Design. 2009-04-20. Archived from the original on 2011-08-13. Retrieved 2023-07-04.
7. "MÉTODO ZERI EN LOS CAFETALES DE COLOMBIA. APLICACIÓN DE TECNOLOGÍAS LOCALES". educarchile.cl. 2011-07-19. Archived from the original on 2011-07-19. Retrieved 2023-07-04.
8. Palazzo Corner, Sofia; Siegert, Martin; Ceppi, Paulo; Fox-Kemper, Baylor; Frölicher, Thomas L.; Gallego-Sala, Angela; Haigh, Joanna; Hegerl, Gabriele C.; Jones, Chris D.; Knutti, Reto; Koven, Charles D.; MacDougall, Andrew H.; Meinshausen, Malte; Nicholls, Zebedee; Sallée, Jean Baptiste (2023-11-14). "The Zero Emissions Commitment and climate stabilization". Frontiers in Science. 1. doi:10.3389/fsci.2023.1170744. hdl:10871/134927. ISSN 2813-6330.
9. Times, Sustainability (2021-12-15). "The 'blue economy' can help transform our use of the oceans". Sustainability Times. Retrieved 2023-06-08.
10. Wenhai, Lu; Cusack, Caroline; Baker, Maria; Tao, Wang; Mingbao, Chen; Paige, Kelli; Xiaofan, Zhang; Levin, Lisa; Escobar, Elva; Amon, Diva; Yue, Yin; Reitz, Anja; Neves, Antonio Augusto Sepp; O’Rourke, Eleanor; Mannarini, Gianandrea (2019). "Successful Blue Economy Examples With an Emphasis on International Perspectives". Frontiers in Marine Science. 6. doi:10.3389/fmars.2019.00261. hdl:10141/622826. ISSN 2296-7745.

External links

• Zero Emissions Research and Initiatives
• ZERI projects translated into fables for children
• The ZERI Philosophy in Action
• A cartoon presenting ZERI in action