102. What If Whale Poop Could Help Save the Planet?
A Story of Ocean Hope with Positive Polar
In this episode, I sit down with the creators of Positive Polar, a love-passion-science project inviting you to directly participate in restoring our oceans. The mission? Biochemically mimic whales to restore marine ecosystems, sequester carbon, and turn tourism into a force for regeneration.
Jenn Bonilla, the President of Positive Pola, brings a PhD from Princeton, Stanford training, and deep expertise in commercializing biotech for environmental impact. Hugo Hinrichsen, its CEO and Founder, is an ex-navy officer and polar helicopter pilot whose ancestors were whalers — and restoring the oceans isn’t just work for him, it’s personal.
Speaking with the two of them was so invigorating. Their love for whales and all ocean habitat, their willpower to spearhead new possibilities and match science with passion, and their eagerness to get this story out there so that we can start moving forward with climate optimism today, not tomorrow, was truly infectious.
This, dear listener, is climate optimism in action. Let’s dive in.
“We hope to create the kind of technology that could be adopted by every ship crossing the whale highways.”
Key Takeaways:
Whale Biomimicry Can Heal the Ocean
Whales fertilize ocean ecosystems through a process known as the whale pump. Positive Polar aims to mimic this by modifying onboard waste to support phytoplankton growth.Luxury Travel Meets Climate Action
This cruise line offers more than stunning destinations—it provides passengers a way to actively participate in restoring ocean health through immersive education and real-time science.Marine Carbon Removal Is Critical
Restoring phytoplankton and ocean ecosystems can help reduce atmospheric CO₂ and ocean acidification, both key to climate restoration.A Platform for Scalable Solutions
The project’s ultimate goal is to pioneer a scalable model that can be adopted by other cruise and merchant fleets operating in whale migration routes.Experience Fuels Advocacy
Their belief: “You love and protect what you experience.” By connecting passengers emotionally and physically to the ocean, they build lifelong ocean advocates.
Support Positive Polar
Want to invest in active climate optimism? Help Positive Polar on their mission to get these ships offshore by investing in their crowdfunding run.
Jenn Bonilla and Hugo Hinrichsen is on a mission to restore our oceans with Positive Polar.
“You love and protect what you experience. That’s why we believe this project will create real advocacy.”
