Greenheart Project Solar Sail Cargo Ship


Greenheart Project is an international NGO with offices in Tokyo and Europe creating the world’s first completely open source small-scale, solar-sail cargo ship tailored to small island developing states and coastal communities in Bangladesh this year flying under the Kiribati flag. Countries that have expressed interest in our ship include Fiji and Jamaica and we will be going on a global voyage for fair trade and sustainability once the ship is completed. We hope to create a revolution in the currently dirty dirty shipping industry and make it as clean and green as possible! Greenheart has also made it to the final rounds of nominees for a major engineering prize given annually by the Royal Dutch Society of Engineers called the Vernufteling Prize. The Prize site is here: http://www.dagvandeingenieur.nl/vernufteling/publieksverkiezing-2014/ and Greenheart is nominated by AA Planadvies. The Vernufteling Prize is awarded annually to the initiative that is developing an imaginative project that promises to have a significant social and economic impact. If we win it will give us the wide public exposure that will propel us to finishing the construction of the boat and getting more people interested in joining us in changing the paradigm of shipping and waterway transport. Drawing upon, and endeavoring to be compatible with, the rich sailing traditions of coastal communities, Greenheart is working to radically amplify access to the oceanic commons and distant markets, while interacting with the environment in a more equitable and just manner. Greenheart is intentionally open source small-scaled, durable, adaptable, affordable, energy-efficient, solar/sail cargo ship that is easy to service and repair. It expects to rearrange the balance of opportunities among rich and poor by making safe, long distance sea travel accessible to marginalized and excluded sectors of the world population.