Ideas for Sea Change: Scalable Systems for Ocean Impact

Empowering large scale change for the oceans requires big picture thinking while building systems that are both impactful & scalable. Join leading innovators from Regenerative Resources Co. and Blue Action Labs as we discuss how we can drive systemic change for the oceans through scalable solutions.

Democratizing opportunities for local and international communities for ocean regeneration and innovation are critical pieces to the puzzle as the need to innovate for regenerative ocean impact grows. Regenerative Resources Co. works with landholders, governments, institutions, communities, and tribes, to transform degraded landscapes into regenerative, circular economies. RRC guides this transformation hand-in-hand with local stakeholders, by providing design, training & education, and wholesaling services. 

Meanwhile, The Blue Action Lab (Action Lab) is building a scalable model for place-based economic development to empower low-lying and coastal islands around the world to take advantage of the emerging blue and climate-resilient economies. At the front lines of the climate crisis, island and coastal communities are confronted with a stark reality: find solutions to rising seas, increasing storm intensity, and the degradation of marine ecosystems, or face relocation and ruin. The Action Lab is developing the technologies and models needed to empower these communities to thrive in the face of climate change.

Altogether, these organizations are (literally) reshaping the landscape to support ocean regeneration and empower the communities behind them.

About our panel:

Neal Spackman

Founder & CEO, Regenerative Resources Co

Neal Spackman is an internationally recognized pioneer of hyperarid agroforestries. He was cofounder and Director of the Al Baydha Project in Saudi Arabia, where he lived and worked with tribes of bedou to convert deserts into savannahs.  He founded the webinar series Sustainable Design Masterclass, and has taught and consulted in the Middle East, Africa, and the Americas.  He is passionate about the connection between ecologies and wealth. Neal is an alumnus of Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business.

Courtney Cardin

Co-Founder & Director of Business Development and Special Projects, Blue Action Lab

Courtney works at the intersection of politics, policy, and finance to develop place-based inclusive economic models to promote innovation and development by leveraging communities' unique resources, workforce, and character. Courtney has over a decade of experience building coalitions and strategic partnerships with civic organizations, community leaders, influencers, and companies to promote sustainable brands and progressive causes, candidates, and policies.

In 2020, Courtney directed Power the Polls' coalition of more than 400 business, nonprofit, and influencer partners that successfully recruited more than 710,000 people to sign-up to work the polls for the 2020 election amidst a global pandemic.

In 2019, Courtney moved from Washington, DC to Melbourne, Australia, and launched impact consulting business, BC Global Partners with fellow ROIer and Clinton campaign alumn, Sarah Bard. BC Global Partners serves clients in the U.S., Australia, Israel, and The Bahamas advising investors, entrepreneurs, and developers on sustainable investment, growth strategies, and the development of impact narratives.

Courtney is also a co-founder of the Blue Action Lab -- a proving ground for developing, testing, and scaling Blue/Green technologies and solutions. The Blue Action Lab's scalable model is designed to help coastal communities and low-lying islands around the world recruit and retain leading sustainability entrepreneurs, invest in education and workforce development, and empower coastal communities to participate in the emerging Blue Economy and thrive in the face of climate change.

A trained attorney with a focus on antitrust and congressional investigations, Courtney previously represented Fortune 500 clients in private practice and served as Senior Counsel for the U.S. Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, Counsel for the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary, and an attorney for Secretary Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign.

Courtney received a B.A. in International Studies and a B.A. in Jewish Studies from Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia and her J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center.

Daniel Kleinman

Founder & CEO, Seaworthy Collective

Daniel Kleinman is Seaworthy Collective's Founder and CEO, and a marine roboticist. Daniel received his Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Florida, focusing on ocean technology while following a passion for exploring and understanding the oceans. As an undergraduate, Daniel interned with the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and became a University Innovation Fellow. After graduating in 2015, Daniel spent two years as a Pilot and Test Engineer for Bluefin Robotics' unmanned underwater vehicles in Boston. Daniel spent the following three years in San Diego as a Navy Contractor contributing to mechanical engineering research and development for maritime systems. Daniel recently started his Master's in Exploration Science at The University of Miami RSMAS and was recognized as a Miami Global Shaper. Daniel launched Seaworthy Collective in the fall of 2020, channeling his passion, network, and industry knowledge to empower a community of current and aspiring ocean innovators and entrepreneurs.