Coral Reef Restoration Kits

An educational and applied venture to help restore destroyed coral reefs due to ocean acidification through the implementation of home-grown coral.

The year is 2050. Technology is the cornerstone of our existence. Wherever you look, there are signs of our physical advancement, from self-driving cars to robots and even completely AI-powered drive-throughs. But one cannot say the same about the advancement of our morality. The oceans are a complete wasteland. Marine organisms are facing extinction and the coral reefs are completely famished. City coastlines are completely eroded, yet no one seems to care. Even the air we breathe is filled with excess carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gasses from years of using fossil fuels inattentively. The world is suffering and it’s all because of us.

Ocean acidification is one of the main causes of this destruction. Notorious for using fossil fuels to power our daily lives, we humans have contributed to a 47% increase in carbon dioxide in the atmosphere since the start of the Industrial Revolution, according to statistics by NASA. It doesn’t end there. 30-50% of that carbon dioxide gets absorbed into the oceans, in a process known as ocean acidification. This causes the oceans to have a lower pH balance and become more acidic, an environment that is unideal for the marine organisms who call the ocean their home. According to the European Environment Agency, the current decrease in pH levels is occurring at a rate about 100 times faster than any change in acidity experienced during the past 55 million years. The excess carbon dioxide molecules causing this change, also combine with water molecules to form carbonic acid. This molecule bonds to coral reefs and crustaceans, making their shells brittle and prone to stressors; affecting the marine ecosystem and organisms, as well as causing immense erosion to city coastlines and harm to the fishing industry. Everyday, marine species are on the verge of extinction because of the coral reefs that comprise their homes, affecting the food web, and ultimately us - the apex consumer. Erosion on city coastlines causes great damage to seaside towns where millions of people’s homes, businesses and livelihoods are affected negatively, and maybe even destroyed. Fishing industries, the way many people make their living, are also in the face of great harm as they are the main source of profit and economic growth for coastal communities. Now we come back to today. The year is 2023, and we still have a chance. A chance to change our ways and prevent our world from ever reaching the point of disaster. 

In order to solve this problem of coral reef destruction, our team has decided to create kits for individuals to buy and create their coral reefs. Each kit will have enough supplies to build a small coral reef. This hands-on activity will educate individuals about coral reefs and bring our community together, and have everyone working towards fixing one issue. These coral reefs will then be sent to nearby laboratories where professionals will test them to make sure they are healthy and ready to be planted. Coral reefs will then be planted into the ocean, ready to grow bigger and create a home for organisms. To begin, we intend to distribute these corals to schools around Middlesex County and plant the coral in local reefs.  Later, we hope to partner with bigger organizations such as the Great Barrier Reef Restoration project to reach national and global lengths. 

As a proposed non-profit organization, we do not plan to use our revenue as profit or income for employees, but rather as income for resources in order to make more kits. Our source of revenue will be through the purchase of these kits by schools as well as donations. Through rough estimates, we have been able to come up with a total cost of $80. This includes a tank with a filter, a packet of sand, a hydrometer, rocks with bacteria, a water-testing kit, coral pieces, and coral dip. Although this may seem like a high price, many schools are always looking for unique projects to immerse their students in, much like this one. In addition, as our organization expands, our costs will also reduce due to donations and funding from investors as well as deals and cost reductions from our manufacturers. 

Through our solution, we have a target of trying to directly improve the lives of the marine organisms in our oceans, those living in and by marine coastlines, and most of all, educating the general public on global issues going on and the steps they can take to help be a part of the solution. As mentioned earlier, due to ocean acidification, coral reefs are diminishing by the hundreds and since they provide a home for many marine organisms, the marine ecosystem is also affected. This in turn affects humans, being the apex predators, as we lose a food source, one that may be the only available source of protein for some groups of people. Additionally, as a result of coral reef destruction, coastal communities face the brunt of the issue. Destroyed coral reefs cause erosion to coastlines, negatively affecting and damaging houses, businesses, and lives. Not only that but fishing communities whose economies rely on the marine resources are faced with tough decisions as the can no longer rely on the oceans for a steady stream of food and income. These audiences are not receiving the attention they need and deserve. Politicians promise long, stretched out campaigns to help improve this situation that would take years, and tons of money, and in the end, not really do much except reinforce infrastructure. Our solution of distributing coral reef kits and planting them into devastated areas in the oceans faces the root of the problem effectively, in hopes to secure a better, safer, and more reliable future for our fellow marine organisms and us, humans.

Our team consists of five very diligent, passionate, and organized high school sophomores taking on the honors and AP track. Having been friends for as long as we can remember, some of our favorite memories include taking a trip down to the beach and hanging out in coastal cities or going to aquariums and observing all the wonderful aquatic organisms that share our planet. However, we soon all came to the realization of how devastated the ocean really is after one of our members came back from a scuba diving trip in Egypt, and saw some of the destroyed and brittle coral reeds that marine organisms sadly call home. From that point on, our love for marine biology and the ecosystem grew and we have done everything in our power to try to initiate change. This opportunity that you have provided will help us achieve our goals as civicly minded individuals, help spread the word about environmental issues, and initiate real change that we can see with our own eyes, not through the weak promises of politicians and social media activists. 

Overall as a group, we have numerous experiences to help us gain the insight necessary to tackle a problem as such. We are all diligent volunteers who spend loads of time at the public library and other learning centers, such as Kumon, to help educate our community not only on environmental issues but also in their day to day learning struggles. Additionally, one of our members is currently on our towns Mayor’s Youth Advisory Council and has founded the Youth Environmental Commission, helping to initiate environmental change starting in our community with endeavors such as town wide compositing and educational services. This committee, along with collaborations of the adult Evironmental Commission can bring vital knowledge and experience to this field. Additionally, at our high school we have connections with PLTW teachers, teams, and curriculum to help us achieve advancement in our prototype ventures. Additionally, we have reached out to several teachers at our school who hold Marine Biology and Science level degrees and PHDs along with pending communication to a Marine Biology school in New Jersey for assistance. Most importantly, with experience in the fishing industry from relatives and older members in the community, along with pending connections with marine science programs, we believe we have the diligence, and ability to provide equitable change to our community.

The main population of potential users includes students and people who want to learn more about the environment and help out marine ecosystems and those living by shorelines. In addition, we also want to help teachers to make curriculums more interesting for this students and to include more hands-on activities. In order to connect more with this population, we have talked to teachers around the building about this idea and asked if they would be willing to include this in their lesson plans with most in agreement to implement it once it is finalized.  We have also made a shared a Google Form survey with students at our high school, asking their knowledge level on the issue, and if they would want something like our coral reef kits to be implemented in school curriculum, especially with classes such as AP Environmental Science. We are also working with the Engineering Teams at our school for a prototype, the Youth Environmental Commission in the town to begin spreading knowledge and awareness, and teachers/other professionals for more in depth knowledge on how to implement our idea.

Our solution is definitely one of the more unique and innovative approaches to tackling this issue compared to others. For example, the Great Barrier Reef Foundation also works with this same issue, however uses donations and volunteers to help aid them. We have come up with a hands on, educational idea to help initiate change that we can see right away. By implementing this program into schools, students will have the ability to have a hands on approach to growing coral reefs and learning about the effect of their actions on the environment. Individuals may also purchase our kit and grow their coral reefs in their homes. After sending out their finished product to labs and then devastated areas, our consumers will feel the satisfaction of knowing that they themselves have contributed to a visible and pertinent change in our society. Through this solution, and with help from you, we hope to expand to a non profit organization and soon adapt other environmentally beneficial ventures to implement.

Every new idea must have a purpose or else it is difficult to have to create a big impact in the world.  Our team chooses to tackle one of the greatest problems in the world, coral reef destruction.  Our main goal is to teach younger audiences about the importance of coral reefs and how we must protect them.  We would also like to bring the community together to solve one problem. When we implement these kits in school, we intend to inspire students to preserve our oceans and keep coral reefs safe.  By passing this idea down to younger generations, we ensure that our oceans will be safe for generations to come.

Technology is a main factor that powers our project of coral reef restoration kits. The 3-D printing technology is what makes our kits even possible. With the 3-D printer we can print out parts such as the tank that encompasses the whole kit. We will also use natural resources such as sand to make it similar to a real coral reef. Without technology we would not be able to form the kit and implement it into oceans. 

We are currently still in the prototype and testing phase of our solution so we are currently not serving anyone. In the next year, we plan to at least implement this idea into the curriculum at our school, which will be used by about 600 students, to affect an innumerable amount of marine organisms and humans.

Just like every other product in the market, it is impossible to launch a completely new idea and not have any limitations. There will always be financial and market barriers that limit our growth. Some of the economic issues include not having enough funding for the project, since we are just high school students, and it is likely for adults investing in projects like this one to invest in a more experienced group of people. Additionally, growing coral reefs can take a long time, and if it is not done perfectly, they can die. So, there are a lot of technicalities that we need to be sure of and teach our audience about before the product is launched. To overcome this obstacle, we plan to give detailed instructions and even a video/live seminar on how to do this. Some market barriers include advertising this product and getting it started, which may be challenging. For example, it sometimes takes a long time for schools to add something to their curriculum and get it approved by the Board of Education.

As mentioned previously, we are working closely with the Engineering Teams at our school to design a prototype, teachers/professionals from across the state for further information on our idea and how to implement it correctly, and the Youth Environmental Commission in our town to help with advertising and spreading the word.