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The Latest

Announcing Our 2024 Annual Report: Bold Innovations & Community Impact

We’re excited to share that our 2024 Annual Report is now live—and it’s waiting for you to explore! Dive into a year of climate-driven innovation, community-powered momentum, and meaningful progress across our grantee network.

Highlights Inside:

  • Inspiring stories of our five 2024 grantees, including heroes like Ben Partee, Elliot Strand (PAGE Technologies), ProGreen, Blazin’ Joe, and the student-driven winners of the CU Boulder Sustainability Hackathon.

  • A retrospective of financial transparency and giving, with honors for donors who gave $5,000+, $1,000+, and $500+ throughout the year.

  • Insights into our evolving grant strategy, community growth in Boulder and beyond, and how these efforts are shaping a more sustainable future.

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Thank you to everyone — donors, partners, volunteers, and changemakers — for fueling our mission. Together, we’re empowering the next generation of climate innovators.

Here’s to building on this momentum in 2025!

— The 1000 Gretas Team

 

1000 Gretas Welcomes Fiora Mara: Pioneering Ocean-Based Climate Solutions

When the world was still reeling from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, Adam Ornstein found himself grappling with a deeper, older crisis—one that had shadowed his awareness since childhood: climate change.

“I remembered learning about climate change in grammar school,” Adam recalls. “And now, as a full-fledged adult, I was hearing the same warnings all over again—with little meaningful progress to show for it.”

The frustration wasn’t just about the slow pace of change. It was about the lack of bold action—the kind of industry-scale solutions that could not just slow climate damage, but reverse it. That question kept ringing in Adam’s mind:

If I had infinite resources, what would I build to solve climate change?

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From Forests to the Ocean

At first, Adam’s mind went to land-based solutions. He began researching optimal reforestation strategies—what combinations of trees, shrubs, and plants would be most effective. He spoke with botanists, landscape architects, and forestry experts.

Then, on a call with a colleague, someone posed a game-changing question:“If your goal is carbon removal, maybe you should be looking into seaweed.”

That simple suggestion flipped the script.



Why Seaweed?

Seaweed, Adam discovered, absorbs carbon up to 20 times faster than terrestrial forests of the same size. It grows in the ocean, making it less vulnerable to deforestation. And because the ocean covers 71% of our planet, seaweed farming offers a scalable, long-term climate solution that doesn’t require competing for land, water, or food resources.

Adam joined a climate fellowship and led a 14-person capstone team to explore the feasibility of large-scale seaweed infrastructure. The team consulted oceanic lawyers, bamboo engineers, seaweed farmers, financial strategists, and climate scientists—designing a business model to make seaweed farming both practical and impactful.

The Birth of Fiora Mara

From this research, Fiora Mara was born—a venture dedicated to ocean-based carbon removal through innovative seaweed farming. Adam and his collaborators are designing solutions that not only sequester carbon but also strengthen marine ecosystems, protect biodiversity, and create new economic opportunities for coastal communities.

“If Fiora Mara succeeds,” Adam says, “we’ll live in a world where carbon removal is no longer a desperate scramble—it’s a quiet, reliable part of a broader climate strategy.”

In Adam’s vision, climate action will no longer be seen as heroic, but habitual. And in that world, every species—not just ours—will get a fair shot at survival.

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Learn More & Get Inspired

If you want to explore the science and strategy behind seaweed farming and other climate solutions, Adam recommends these resources:


We’re thrilled to support Adam and Fiora Mara with a $1,000 grant from 1000 Gretas, helping fuel the next phase of this important work. Bold ideas like these are what will turn the tide—literally and figuratively—in the fight against climate change.

 

🏡 Innovator Spotlight: Mark Isaacs & WonderWindow – Net Zero Energy in Every Backyard

At 1000 Gretas, we believe climate solutions can—and should—begin right at home. Our latest $1,000 grantee, Mark Isaacs, is building a future where Net Zero Energy homes aren’t just for the elite—they’re for all of us.


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Through his startup, WonderWindow, Mark is bringing forward an idea that’s equal parts visionary and practical: affordable, high-performance microhomes and accessory dwelling units (ADUs) that require no building permit for small models and offer sustainable, regenerative design for larger ones.

Mark’s mission? To make it possible for teachers, firefighters, families, and future innovators to own their homes, generate their own power, and contribute to thriving, climate-forward communities—starting with their own backyards.

“At 14, I heard Bucky Fuller speak about making 100% of humanity successful on Spaceship Earth. That was the moment I knew what I wanted to do with my life.” — Mark Isaacs

🛠️ From Vision to Action

Now at 69, Mark brings over five decades of passion, innovation, and deep design expertise to the table. He’s not only received a National Association of Home Builders Award for an 84,000 sq ft near-zero energy project, but has also built multiple Net Zero Energy homes, earned six patents, and helped advance sustainable construction best practices nationwide.

And still—he sees this new beginning with 1000 Gretas as a pivotal turning point:

“With this award, I hope to look back in a few years and say that today marked the day we enabled success in making Net Zero & Regenerative microhomes affordable enough to provide housing and energy security for every American.”

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🌿 Why This Matters

WonderWindow's homes—ranging from 120 sq ft DIY microhomes to larger ADUs up to 1152 sq ft—are designed with solar access, passive cooling, ultra-efficient building envelopes, and real-world affordability in mind.

This model isn’t just about climate tech—it’s about climate equity. It’s about the schoolteacher being able to live in the community they serve. It’s about the young person raised in poverty becoming the builder of their own secure future. It’s about regenerative design becoming a mainstream solution, not a luxury option.

And it’s about transforming cities and towns into walkable, livable places where solar power, smart design, and local jobs build a climate-resilient economy from the ground up.



🧠 Learn More & Connect with Mark

And if you're someone with a backyard—or know someone who is—Mark wants to hear from you. Whether it’s a $25K DIY build or a $50K contractor version, WonderWindow could be your path to sustainable living, right where you are.

💌 Reach out to Mark directly: mark@wonderwindow.net

At 1000 Gretas, we’re proud to support climate entrepreneurs like Mark—people turning dreams into blueprints and blueprints into real-world impact. Let’s build a world where sustainability starts at home.


 
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