We support Homeward Bound, the international program for female leadership in the scientific domain, and its work to tackle the climate crisis.
Homeward Bound is a project supported by ACCIONA. Its aim is to create an international network of 10,000 women professionals in STEM disciplines by 2036 in order to boost collaboration in scientific projects with global reach and increase the visibility of women leaders in science.
On this occasion, the 10th edition of the program was staged in Tanzania and culminated with the holding of the 1st Global Female Leadership Forum, held itinerantly in the regions of Arusha, Karatu and the Serengueti.
The encounter, which lasted for 15 days, combined a first week working collaboratively and training in Arusha with a second traveling to Karatu and the Serengueti. Workshops were held which focused on international challenges such as global warming, fair development, the preservation of cultural diversity and ecosystem defense.
During the African expedition, the participants could speak with local communities and get to know firsthand enclaves of great environmental value. The edition marked a milestone in the trajectory of Homeward Bound by being the first to be carried out in Africa, taking up the mantle of Antarctica, the protagonist of the program in previous years.
The 8th edition of Homeward Bound set sail for the Antarctic at the start of 2025 with 124 participants of 22 different nationalities, among them 8 Spaniards. ACCIONA was this time represented by 3 professionals employed by the Company: Marta Crespo, María González Fajardo and Edith Guedella. The expedition kept the same focus in female leadership, science and climate change, consolidating the participation of women from ACCIONA in a global network of sustainability and STEMM leaders.
AN INFINITE JOURNEY
In 2024, ACCIONA accompanied the participants of Homeward Bound in a new expedition to Antarctica.
It resulted in the documentary Homeward Bound: An Infinite Journey, an audiovisual production about the journey of the participants and the impact of the program through their experiences, reporting on ACCIONA’s commitment to female leadership and action against climate change.
THE DOCUSERIES
Javier Santaolalla, particle physicist and scientific communicator, chats to Homeward Bound participants to explain the development of the program and its final expedition to Antarctica to observe at first hand the effects of climate change.
COVID-19 SAW US REINVENT OURSELVES
COVID-19 obliged us to cancel the HB 05 expedition to Antarctica and adapt the program digitally.
To give the participants a voice, ACCIONA created new Live multicast formats in its social networks, with the involvement of Homeward Bound women in key markets and influencers such as Javier Santaolalla, Amaro and Karla Souza.
We also produced an eight-episode docuseries highlighting the training program.
A YEAR MARKED BY COP25
The fourth edition of Homeward Bound coincided with the holding of COP25, the World Climate Change Summit, for which ACCIONA organized events in Madrid and Chile. The latter was presented to the media in an event chaired by Amaro Gómez.
HB 04 participants completed the annual program training, although the COVID-19 situation meant they had to cancel the Antarctic expedition.
ACCIONA BECOMES A GLOBAL PARTNER OF HOMEWARD BOUND
ACCIONA supported the expedition to Antarctica of 80 scientists from 35 countries. Among them was Christiana Figueres, former Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and a member of the ACCIONA Board of Directors.
Before sailing from Ushuaia (Argentina) on 31 December 2018, the participants of the program’s 3rd edition carried out a research and training course.
WE JOIN HOMEWARD BOUND THROUGH OUR #ACCIONATEAM
ACCIONA joined forces with the Homeward Bound initiative through its #ACCIONATeam, reinforcing its commitment to environmental protection and the promotion of female talent in science and technology.
With Uxua López, Alicia Pérez-Porro, Ana Payo and Alexandra Dubini, we were able to highlight on a day-to-day basis the expedition focused on preserving the planet.
Homeward Bound has taken on a courageous and worthwhile mission: to put women's leadership at the center of the global conversation on climate change mitigation. I identify with the program, it pursues goals that I share and helps to extend my conviction that all human beings can work together and help each other to improve the fate of humanity.
Christiana Figueres, former Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and ACCIONA Board Member
We join the members of the Homeward Bound expedition on their latest journey to Antarctica, a voyage that heralds the rise of a new generation of women from various nationalities, dedicated to advocating for a sustainable and equitable world through the power of women's leadership.