We can seek help from sea kelp! 🌿 Did you know that one type of algae, Asparagopsis taxiformis, can be fed to
cattle to decrease bovine methane production by 99%? Growing seaweed (sustainably, of course) can help us combat climate change in three amazing ways: - By replacing plastic packaging
- By absorbing CO2
- By building biodiversity
Read our newest original article below to learn more about these benefits and some startups spearheading this movement! If you enjoy this article, please share it with others! |
Protecting life below water 🌊 The UN's Sustainable Development Goals outline 10
essential targets relating to Goal 14 (Life Below Water): There are so many innovative startups making strides towards these important targets today... here are just a few examples: Target 14.1: Reduce Marine Pollution Meet - Clean Sea Solutions. This Norwegian startup has developed a modular floating dock, called the AquaPod, to collect and store plastic waste. The company also offers the Cleaning Drone V1, an
autonomous electric drone that removes marine plastic waste floating on and just below water surfaces in ports, canals, rivers, and other marine environments.
Check out their website →
|
Target 14.2: Protect and Restore
Ecosystems Meet - Coral Vita. Located in Freeport, Grand Bahamas, this farm cultivates 24 different types of indigenous coral with innovative techniques that speed up growth by up 50% (micro fragmenting) and make
the coral more resistant (assisted evolution) to the rising temperatures and acidity.
Check out their website →
|
Target 14.3: Reduce Ocean
Acidification Meet - Heimdal. This Hawaiian startup pumps saltwater into a machine that uses renewable energy to rearrange molecules in the water, removing acid. It can then sell the acid it removes, which ends up in
the form of hydrochloric acid. The process also produces hydrogen and oxygen. The de-acidified seawater can be returned to the ocean, where it will naturally capture CO2.
Check out their website →
|
Target 14.7: Increase the Economic
Benefits from Sustainable Use of Marine Resources Meet - Cascadia Seaweed. This startup is largest kelp cultivator in Canada, with 7 ocean farms totaling 26 hectares and producing 250 wet tonnes. By partnering with coastal First Nations, they produce 1)
seaweed-based additives that are used in animal nutrition; and 2) farm biostimulants that are applied to plants to enhance nutrition efficiency, abiotic stress tolerance, and crop quality traits.
Check out their website →
|
What's going on @ Stardust...
➫ What a gift to be able to check in on the progress of one of the very first projects we helped fund back in 2016! The MirIAM, founded by retired narcotics officer Tami Thomas, is a drug rehabilitation center for women in Eastern North Carolina that offers therapy, life skills, creative arts, and family & recreational
programs. Many women leave jail with only the clothes on their backs, no support network, and no income. They are "broken and hurting, missing their families and needing emotional and financial support,” says Tami, so programs like these can be life-changing. ✨ Here are some updated
facts: 🎓 To date, 177 women have served in the residential program and 51 have completed the full 6-month rehab program and graduated 💪 There is a transitional program that helps the women get clothes, housing, food, and hopefully a job in the community to become self-reliant 💸 The MirIAM gets some income from the thrift store, but most of the funding comes from donors 🍽️ They also hold events like the upcoming dinner fundraiser set for Nov. 17th, 2022 💼 Many MirIAM program graduates are now
living and working at jobs in Carteret County, NC The Stardust microgrant in 2016
was crucial, as it helped fund the outdoor aspect of the rehab program (gardening, chicken coop, beekeeping). The women are responsible for caring for dependent animals and plants. They have a chore list and are expected to complete their assigned work. They learn patience, goal-setting and how to manage their schedules. “These are transferable skills that the women bring with them once they graduate from the MirIAM rehabilitation program.” - Tami
Tami's message for
us? “Get involved – the only thing we can take with us is love. There are so many hurting. It doesn’t take that much to make a difference. It’s a gift to give.”
Website;
LinkedIn; Facebook. ➫ As we transition into our 2023 grant-writing/fund-seeking
period, which will present itself externally as a sort of hiatus, Stardust Startup's Board of Directors is going through major changes - and we've got some new members on board! 🤝 - L. Jean Palmer-Moloney, Ph.D
- Fran Pigott-Harding
- Kristina Wolff
- Kashoro Nyenyezi, MPA
- Leni Rose Bereber, RCIC
- Dr. Jean Claude M. Luhere
See our updated "Team" section→ |
Until next month!
Camille Babington
Senior Director of Operations, Communication
|
| Forward this email to your family and friends!
|
|
|
|
|
