THE PRINCE AND PRINCESS OF WALES WILL VISIT BOSTON FOR THE 2022 EARTHSHOT PRIZE AWARDS
The Prince and Princess of Wales will travel to Boston for the second annual Earthshot Prize awards ceremony which is taking place in the city on Friday 2nd December.
Inspired by President John F. Kennedy’s ‘Moonshot’, the Earthshot Prize is an ambitious global environmental prize which aims to discover, celebrate and scale the best solutions to help repair our planet. At this year’s awards ceremony, the Prince and Princess will join activists, innovators, policy makers and performers to celebrate the 2022 cohort of fifteen global finalists before the five winners are awarded.
During their trip, which will take place between Wednesday 30th November and Friday 2nd December, Their Royal Highnesses will get to know the City of Boston, including learning about how it is taking ambitious action to combat the effects of climate change, ahead of the Earthshot Prize awards ceremony on the Friday evening. Their visit will see them attend a special event with the Mayor of Boston, Michelle Wu, as well as a visit by the Prince to the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum with Ambassador Caroline Kennedy.
Recognising the significant challenges that the coastal city of Boston faces as a result of climate change, the Prince and Princess will see for themselves the work that local organisations are doing to mitigate the risk of rising sea levels. Their Royal Highnesses will also spend time learning about some of the innovative green technologies that have been incubated in the area during a visit to Greentown Labs in Somerville.
As well as learning about the climate-related challenges that Boston faces, the Prince and Princess will also take time to meet with those who are working to support vulnerable members of the local community. They will hear about the efforts of Roca, a non-profit organisation working for nearly 35 years to bring public systems together in a cohesive approach to save and change the trajectory of the lives of high-risk young people.
While in the city, the Princess of Wales will take the opportunity to visit the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University. A long-standing friend of the Royal Foundation and the Centre for Early Childhood, the Harvard Center is a world leader on research into the lifelong impact of experiences in early childhood.
This will be Their Royal Highnesses first trip to the United States of America since they last visited in 2014. The Prince and Princess are looking forward to spending time in Boston, and to learning more about the issues that are affecting local people, as well as to celebrating the incredible climate solutions that will be spotlighted through the Earthshot Prize.
Wednesday 30th November 2022
Engagement 1:
Their Royal Highnesses’ first engagement on arrival in Boston will see them join the Mayor of Boston, Michelle Wu, and Ambassador Caroline Kennedy for a special event to start the countdown to the Earthshot Prize awards ceremony on Friday.
The Prince and Princess, together with Mayor Wu and Ambassador Kennedy will assemble at Speaker’s Corner outside City Hall in the centre of the city, where they will formally kick off Earthshot celebrations by lighting up Boston City Hall and landmarks across the city green. The Prince, Mayor Wu and Ambassador Kennedy will each give short remarks.
Ahead of this special moment, the Prince and Princess will have an audience with Mayor Wu inside City Hall.
Engagement 2: to be announced.
Thursday 1st December 2022
Engagement 1:
The Prince and Princess of Wales will learn about climate innovations which are being incubated in Boston when they pay a visit to Greentown Labs in Somerville. Since 2011, Greentown Labs has nurtured a community of climate pioneers who are working to design and implement a more sustainable world.
Founded by entrepreneurs, Greentown Labs brings together start-ups, corporates and investors to foster ingenuity and collaboration. Greentown is recognised as the largest climate technology start-up incubator in North America, having supported more than 500 companies since its founding that have collectively created more than 9,000 jobs and raised more than $4 billion in funding.
Their Royal Highnesses will meet with the Chief Executive Officer of Greentown Labs and the President of the Northeast Clean Energy Council to learn about the history of Greentown Labs and how it is contributing to global efforts to address the climate crisis.
The Prince and Princess will then spend time meeting with representatives from some of the start-ups within the Greentown Labs community to hear about the latest innovative developments in climate technology. These innovators will be themed in alignment with the five Earthshots: Fix our Climate, Protect and Restore Nature, Build a Waste-Free World, Revive our Oceans and Clean our Air. They will have the opportunity to see some of the prototypes that have been developed at Greentown Labs in person.
Engagement 2:
Their Royal Highnesses will travel to the neighbouring city of Chelsea to visit Roca, a non-profit organisation focusing on high-risk young people between the ages of 16-24 years old at the centre of urban violence. Roca aims to reduce levels of trauma, violence and incarceration, create sustained employment, and improve parenting. They also work closely with critical public systems such as police officers, judges, correction officers and child protection services to help build policies and practices that produce better outcomes for young people who are the primary victims or drivers of violence.
The Prince and Princess will meet with leaders of the organisation to learn about their intervention model rooted in brain science and relentless outreach to young people who aren’t willing to engage in school, work or other efforts. They will then spend time with women in the young mothers’ programme and with current members and alumni of the young men’s programme.
Engagement 3: to be announced.
Friday 2nd December 2022
Engagement 1:
While in Boston, the Princess of Wales will take the opportunity to visit the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University, as part of her ongoing work to elevate the importance of the early years to lifelong outcomes. The Harvard Center focuses on leveraging advances in science to inform the policy landscape and to increase the impact of programs. Her Royal Highness will have a discussion with researchers about the advances in science that can be harnessed to achieve a promising future for every child.
The Harvard Center has long been a friend of the Royal Foundation and more recently the Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood, supporting with past research on the importance of the early years.
https://developingchild.harvard.edu
Engagement 2:
The Prince of Wales will visit John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum where he will meet Ambassador Caroline Kennedy and be given a short tour of the museum. President John F. Kennedy’s Moonshot – which challenged America to put man on the moon – is the key inspiration behind the Earthshot Prize and so His Royal Highness will take the opportunity to hear more about President Kennedy’s inspirational legacy and his connections to Boston.
During a tour of the Library and Museum, the Prince will see exhibits from the pivotal years of the Kennedy Administration in the 1960s, ahead of the moon landing in 1969.
His Royal Highness will then attend a private lunch and discussion with representatives from the Founding Partner organisations of the Earthshot Prize.
Engagement 3:
The final engagement of the Prince and Princess of Wales’ trip to Boston will see them attend the second annual Earthshot Prize awards ceremony at MGM Music Hall at Fenway, during which the 2022 winners will be unveiled.
The Prince and Princess will join activists, innovators, policy makers and performers to celebrate the 2022 cohort of fifteen global finalists before the five winners are awarded.
The ceremony will air around the world on BBC One in the UK, PBS in the United States and Multichoice across Africa. The show will also be available globally on YouTube. It will premiere on Sunday 4 December.
More information about the 2022 Earthshot Prize finalists can be found here: https://earthshotprize.org/winners-finalists/.
