02 Dec Olaf Schuiling Prize 2021: First global carbon removal innovation award ever ! Climate Cleanup and partners are awarding the Prize

Climate Cleanup and partners are awarding the Olaf Schuiling Prize, the first global innovation prize for natural carbon removal. The Olaf Schuiling Award for special achievements innovating natural carbon removal was handed over to the Belgian scientist Ruben Gerrits for his research on the accelerating influence of fungi on olivine weathering. Gerrit’s approach on ecosystem thinking in climate science is highly appreciated by the jury presided by olivine expert Pol Knops (Green Minerals).

The award is called the Olaf Schuiling Award, as a tribute to the Dutch scientist Olaf Schuiling for his groundbreaking research on olivine rock weathering. Olivine is a mineral as old as the world itself and it removes CO2 out of the air.

The ceremony on the 6th of October is part of an evening full of news about olivine as a potentially scalable natural climate solution. Maria Elena Vorrath will share insights on her research with the Alfred Wegner Institute and the Carbon Drawdown initiative in Germany. Olivine pioneer and Project Vesta co-founder Eric Matzner will pay a tribute to Olaf Schuiling and share some news about experiments in the Climate Cleanup Solutions Lab in Prodock, Amsterdam. Family and friends of Olaf Schuiling werel joining this historical evening and shared personal stories.

This first global innovation award for carbon removal takes the form of a statuette of wood and olivine made by Fiction Factory in Amsterdam, as well as € 1500 for the laureate to spend on acceleration.

The Olaf Schuiling Award is a challenge cup and is going to be awarded every year to an innovative contribution to carbon removal with rocks. Rock storen carbon one of the four natural removal methods. Climate Cleanup is also going to award prizes to innovations on Ocean Stored Carbon, Construction Stored Carbon and Land Stored Carbon.