An interview of Nicole Schwab by Samuel Gardaz

Interested by public health and environmental issues, she is one of the people who took part in the genesis of Antinea. In a coffee bar in Geneva, while an icy wind is blowing on the streets of the city, she tells us about these pioneer times.

How did your engagement in Antinea begin?

That brings us back to the beginning of the year 2000. I’ve known Ronald (note: Menzel, one of the founders of Antinea) for fifteen years and I followed from the very beginning the various revisions of an idea which gradually grew to become this ambitious project. On my side, I’ve always expressed my interest in environmental issues. More specifically from the perspective of moving public concern: how to transmit a message, to touch people on given problems. Through my own ideas and the birth of Antinea I gradually passed from the status of somebody who just listens to someone with a more active involvement. Everything came together for me during a weekend spent working on the multi-media show. We wondered about the type of message we wanted to pass and on how to pass it. There, I understood that I was deeply interested by this project.

What was the outcome of the show?

 It was initially developed to mark the launch of the foundation but as we worked on it, the show took on an importance of its own and became a major element of the foundations communication tools. We adopted the image of Antinea, queen of Atlantis, to evoke the beauty of the oceans while she also reminds us of the threats which weigh on them. In this way we maintain the idea of touching people through emotions and always finish on a positive note.

Where did your interest in the environment begin?

 I worked in the field of public health, in particular in Latin America. But always with a holistic approach: I see the connection between health and the environment. To be interested in one aspect you have to take into account the other. A few years ago, I also worked as journalist for the publication “Earth Times”.

Was it important to you that Antinea focused on oceans more than on terrestrial ecosystems?

No, it could have been terrestrial ecosystems. The important thing for me is to promote a form of respect for the environment and of other people. And if we manage reach people with this message their respect for nature will naturally extend to all living creature.

In your eyes are the oceans a good subject through which to raise the public’s awareness on issues of the environment?

Undoubtedly, because it covers many levels and, although it has not been high on the public agenda in past years, is becoming an unavoidable subject. Only in the last 1 or 2 years have the oceans begun to be treated as a global issue.

What, according to you, makes the force of Antinea?

It is an ambitious, global project, supported by a wide range of different people. Its three poles (science, education, participation) create a strong human experience for those who get involved. This individual experience can then radiate, to have a wider impact. Besides, this is what I liked in the partnership with  Pacifique: the idea of transformation of the human being. It is fundamental for me and I think this is the only way of changing anything. Furthermore I think it is important that Antinea’s projects are not limited to one geographical area or one species. That means the project is open to new developments.

In the past, many projects, in particular ideological ones, have had ambitions to change human beings. How, on Antinea’s level, is it possible to implement this ambition carefully, without excess?

It is something which should remain implicit, it should be a result not an objective. If out of one hundred people, who come onboard the boat, only one returns having learned something about them self and the environment, it will be already a success.

What do you feel are the innovative sides of Antinea?

 It has always seen, in the current context, the importance of developing a global network. No single organisation can have all the competences required for a project of this scale and Antinea sees the added value which resides in the pooling of synergies. From this point of view, Antinea knows how to position itself and build many partnerships. The concept of “sharing the experience” also seems to me, in the context, to be very innovative. There is also the aspect of using new technology, take for example our underwater duplex video system, a new and original method to communicate and to exchange a unique experience with the public.