Our team is an interesting mixture of youth, maturity and mostly vast experience. We all have different passions but professionalism and need for cooperation for the benefit of you and us, is the common one for all of us.
Izabela Kotynska-Zielinska
I am a founder of Today We Have, educator and communicator Ocean Literacy.
My life motto is: You can never be overdressed or overeducated – Oscar Wilde.
I love acquiring knowledge, so since graduating in political sciences, I got qualifications in history and then education. I really believe in good quality education, such that knows no boundaries and that is open to everyone. That is why I created the I live by the Sea Project for children and teenagers. The philosophy behind the project is to create a platform which enables exchange of information for all people interested in the ocean and sustainable development. In doing so, I use our mission slogan: We all live by the Sea, no matter where we live next to the beach or far away in the mountains.
I have been involved in many projects and some of the most exciting events, which I have led, involve the 2017 I live by the Sea Photo and Film Contest exhibition, during the UN Ocean Conference in New York, followed by presentations in Brussels (2018), Lisbon, Southampton (2019), Gdynia (2021), Paris, Ravenna, Lisbon, Starbourg (2022), Rostock (2023), Crete (2024).
I am happy to state that these efforts seem to make sense, since beginning of 2020 the I live by the Sea Project is an official partner of the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development.
In 2022, my work was recognized at the European Maritime Day in Ravenna, where the I live by the Sea project received the prestigious Main EU4Ocean coalition award – Sky Blue, presented by the Director-General of DG MARE of the European Commission. This award highlighted my contributions to advancing Ocean Literacy in Europe, mobilizing communities, and promoting the principles of the EU4Ocean coalition.
Since 2018 I have been running Ocean Action workshops for children and young people and Ocean of Change.
Since 2020, co-creator of The Ocean: A Non-Textbook , which was awarded the POP Science ŚFN Katowice 2023 Award for the best popularizers of science in the video blog category.
Since 2020, I have been a founding member of the European coalition EU4Ocean. In 2023, I began coordinating the EARTHgames4EyoUth project, supported by the European Union’s Erasmus+ program. Starting in 2024, I also serve as a mentor for schools participating in the SHORE is a Mission Ocean and Waters project, implemented at The WSB University Polish Country HUB and funded by the EU’s Horizon Europe research and innovation program.
Since 2025, Polish coordinator of the YOLA (Youth Ocean Leadership and Advocacy) project, supported by the European Union’s Erasmus+ program.
As George Bernard Shaw used to say: “There is no more sincere love than the love of food”. I love cooking and learning to prepare new dishes from all over the world. I am fascinated with Japanese cuisine and my dream is to go to Tokyo and eat sushi from master Jiro Ono!
Tymon Zielinski
Professor Tymon Zieliński leads the CORE – Climate and Ocean Research and Education team at the Institute of Oceanology of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Sopot. Tymon is a co-author of over 100 scientific articles and over 200 presentations and serves as an editor in scientific journals, e.g. Frontiers in Marine Science, Atmosphere, Oceanologia, Sustainability.
Since 2025, Tymon is a Deputy Joint Coordinator in the United Nations Regular Process for Global Reporting and Assessment of the State of the Marine Environment and has been representing Central-Eastern Europe in this Program since 2016. In 2024, Tymon became a Chair of the Steering Committee of the European Marine Board Communication Panel, while in 2020-2022 he chaired the EU4Ocean Coalition Climate and Ocean Working Group.
Tymon participates in scientific and educational projects related to widely understood climate change and sustainability processes.
In recognition of his scientific, organizational and educational achievements, Tymon became, in 2021, the “face” of the European action on Research Integrity and was also awarded a title of a Green Hero by BNP Paribas for climate research and education.
Full CV is available HERE
