Deep Blue Academy (DBA) Executive Director, Greg Delaune, sets the stage for the scope and mission of DBA and the Blue Economy Primer podcast. In our first four episodes, we will meet and talk with local New Orleans, and global experts about specific Blue Technologies, as well as broader approaches for developing innovation ecosystems that support the design, development, deployment, and scaling of critical new technologies and solution sets. About 2.4 billion people, or 40% of our global population, lives within 100km of the coast. So in the coming decades, these solution sets will be critical to preserving the unique cultural identity, lifestyles, and economies of maritime cultures. HOST BIO: Greg Delaune Founder and Executive Director; Deep Blue Academy Greg is an internationally recognized consultant, teacher, speaker, and writer specializing in public-private partnerships (PPPs) for green, clean, and smart cities, regenerative floating cities, sustainable economic development, and innovation ecosystem design. He is Founder and Executive Director of Deep Blue Academy, Cofounder of Deep Blue Institute, and a board member for the New Orleans-based Data Center [https://www.datacenterresearch.org/]. He has over 20 years of international experience in economics, urban design, and regional planning policy, managing multidisciplinary teams in the formulation and execution of innovative development strategies, including applied research on integrated sustainability tools and techniques for emerging economies in peripheral Europe and Latin America (e.g. Italy, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and Uruguay). Please visit the episode 00 webpage [https://www.deepblue.institute/ep00bepintroduction] to find additional links, references, and background information Greg's LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregorydelaune/]