Why TERRAVERA

The clock is ticking – and the international community has set 2030 as its deadline. That’s less than one decade to fulfil the ambitions set forth in the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).


How will we make sustainability a reality - before it's too late?

The ambition is there. There is massive public demand for a healthy, sustainable future. We can see this in the business world, where sustainability is quickly becoming a key indicator for determining attractiveness and competitiveness globally.

But at the same time, we are bombarded with fake news, profit-driven studies and misleading sustainability campaigns.

As we enter this decade of action, we do so without the required tools to measure our progress towards the SDGs. We are stuck in a fog and there is no verified, transparent way to assess sustainability.

At TERRAVERA™, we want to change this. We will create a platform that empowers everyone to act based on facts.

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Open

We aim to bring information to the surface, so that it is accessible to everyone. This transparency lays the groundwork for great things, starting with integrity. We pledge to be open in all possible ways.

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Fact-seeking

We are on a quest for honest and scientific facts about sustainability. By enabling people to take action based on reliable information, we can build change that makes an impact on global society and the planet.

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Collaborative

We believe in collaborative effort and collective knowledge - both inside and outside of organizations. We bring people together to search for the best solutions.

What we do

At TERRAVERA™, we aim to create a space where anyone can openly access and understand the environmental and societal impact of products, services, businesses and organisations.

Through open, global collaboration with academia and businesses, we will facilitate the development of a data-driven sustainability measuring system that is based on the SDGs.

Watch the presentation by initiator Erik Fossum Færevaag (8min) here


The third national SDG Conference at the University of Bergen took place on 6-7 February 2020. More than 300 delegates met to discuss technologies and partnerships. TERRAVERA Foundation was invited as the first contributor in the brand new segment SDGs in Action.

Listen to the podcast from Teknisk Ukeblad and read the article here (in Norwegian)

TERRAVERA™ will allow academia, students and businesses to contribute to the platform. Through collaboration, we will develop verified sustainability scores based on indicators defined in the SDGs and establish relevant sustainability criteria for different industries.

We aim to form a universal and acknowledged framework to assess sustainable development. If you want to be a part of this, get in touch at info@terravera.world.

We bring knowledge from academia and experience from global industries together. Our platform will collect, verify and present insights in ways that are accessible and understandable for all.

By enabling open access to models and data with reliable sustainability assessments, we will ensure that decision-makers on all levels and across all fields have the right tools to choose what’s best for our common future.

The UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) provide a universal and acknowledged framework for how to achieve sustainable development.


At TERRAVERA™, we use the indicators defined in the 17 SDGs as the basis for our sustainability measuring system.

To ensure independent and insight-driven development, the TERRAVERA™ platform combines and unites the knowledge of business and academia.

Academic Programmes mesh with leading institutions and personalities in academia to secure empirical evidence and insights into the most recent sustainability research. Academic freedom is crucial for research on sustainability and we strive to create a bottom-up platform for knowledge.

Our Business Programmes tap into the needs of the business world by bringing together leading industry players. TERRAVERA™ will focus on how businesses can integrate sustainability into their organisations. We will work alongside ambitious businesses with a genuine desire to tackle sustainability issues and inspire others to do the same.

Our Pilot Programmes will bring together the best knowledge from our academic and business programmes to create a platform that structures and organizes insights about sustainability. Currently, we are focusing on the value chains of Maritime Transport and Renewable Energy.

Academic Contributors

The TERRAVERA™ Academic Contributors are leading experts in their fields. They have been hand-picked for their commitment to making a difference.

Annik Margerholm

Annik Magerholm Fet

Vice-Rector, NTNU Ålesund
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Asgeir Johan Sørensen

Professor, Director AMOS Department of Marine Technology, NTNU
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Geir Egil Dahle Øien

Professor, Project Manager “Technology Education of the Future”, NTNU
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Helge Brattebø

Professor, Director NTNU Sustainability
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Bjørn Egil Asbjørnslett

Professor, Department of Marine Technology, NTNU
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Finn Gunnar Nielsen

Professor, Head Bergen Offshore Wind Centre (BOW), Geophysical Institute, UiB
Lars Jacob Tynes Pedersen

Lars Jacob Tynes Pedersen

Associate Professor and Head of the Centre for Ethics and Economics, NHH
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Svein A. Aanondsen

Assistant Professor, Department of Marine Technology, NTNU
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Martin Ludvigsen

Professor, Department of Marine Technology, NTNU
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Johan Hustad

Professor, Director NTNU Energy.

Contributors Business

The TERRVAVERA™ Business Contributors are pioneers in the industry. Working together with the foundation to create a platform for cooperation and movement.

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Kristine Falkgård

Head of Financial Program

Former CEO of Kommunalbanken

Svein Roger Selle Low

Svein Roger Selle

Head of Strategic Positioning

Gründer and CEO at Selle & Partners

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Ida Pernille Hatlebrekke

Contributor Business

Chief and Commercial & Sustainability Officer, Looping AS. Chairman PF Bærekraft

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Ingrid von Streng Velken

Contributor Business

Executive Vice President of Innovation and Development BKK

Co-Founders

The Co-Founders of TERRAVERA™ have been significant in the establishment of the foundation. They come from different backgrounds but have in common that they are pioneers that believe that we fundamentally have to change the way we measure sustainability.

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Jon Gjerde

Co-Founder

Jon is the founder and executive board member of Kitemill AS, Airborne Wind Energy and as well as an impact investor. Jon is the chairman of Airborne Wind Europe and sits on the board of Invertapro, Brage Invest, Ignatia, Voss Vandrarheim and Voss Bryggeri. Jon also is an eco farmer and world champion in acrobatic hang gliding

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Hilde Midthjell

Co-Founder

Hilde is the owner and CEO of HiMi Invest and HiMi Properties, and the founder of HiMi Foundations. She was the owner and CEO of Dale of Norway until 2018, when the company was sold after a successful turnaround. Hilde also founded the company Dermanor/Dermagruppen and was the CEO until 2009.

Fana Sparebank

Fana Sparebank

Co-Founder

Fana Sparebank is a local savings bank located in Bergen, Norway. The bank has a strong focus on social responsibility and sustainability measures. Among other things, the bank is climate-neutral and organizes the yearly "Nattevandringen", a nightly walk in Bergen for the UN's sustainability goals.

About us

TERRAVERA™ is an independent non-profit foundation. We are not experts on sustainability, but we all share a fervent desire to move the world in a more sustainable direction.

Our aim is to create a platform for knowledge-sharing and to make sustainability a reality by giving anyone to access reliable, relevant and intelligible insights to support their everyday decisions.

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Erik Fossum Færevaag

Initiator and Chairman

MSc NTNU and background from technology companies such as Chipcon, Texas Instruments and Energy Micro. In 2013 Erik founded Disruptive Technologies, a global IoT company, providing the world’s smallest IoT sensor.

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Bjørn Kjærand Haugland

Initator

MSc NTNU and former Chief Sustainability Officer for DNV-GL, Bjørn is currently CEO for SKIFT - a membership organisation for business-leaders driving the green shift in Norway. Bjørn also sits on the board of WWF, the University of Bergen, Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO), Center for Responsible Leadership, Kezzler and Zeabuz.

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Paal Larsen

Initiator

MBA NHH. Paal has been instrumental in building the Norwegian Software-as-a-Service company Meltwater to become the #1 online Media Intelligence company in the world. Paal is Executive Director Meltwater, part of the global leadership team and responsible for the EMEA business.

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Gyda Bjercke

Head of Academic Program

MSc NTNU in Work and Organizational Psychology, specializing in understanding the work patterns of academics. Gyda has combined her masters with Social entrepreneurship, UiO and worked at Project90by2030 with renewable energy in South Africa.

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Tommy Olsen

Head of Business Program

Tommy is an experienced manager and sales leader with a proven track record from multiple industries such as optometry, electronics, and the music business. Expertise skillset in leadership, people development, growing organizations, sales, negotiations, retail, purchasing management, and marketing.

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Sindre Søndenå Andresen

Board Member

Cand. jur., University of Bergen. Sindre is the office manager of the Bergen office and Co-Head of Corporate Advisory and Transactions. Sindre is a partner in Schjødt and specialises in M&A, capital markets transactions, securities and corporate law, PE/VC and corporate real estate. In addition Sindre is co-head of the firm's practice area for renewable energy, and has over the last years had a particular focus on wind energy.