People often refer to the large coral reefs in our oceans as “the rainforests of the ocean” because they are such an instrumental part of the entire ecosystem that we have on Earth. Unfortunately, much like the rainforests on land, the health of corals all around the world is being threatened more and more every day. Here at Ocean Builders, we want to do our part to make sure that there are beautiful and lively corals in our oceans for generations to come.
One of the ways that we are fighting to keep healthy reefs in our oceans is by creating 3D printed coral habitats. These habitats allow us to plant polyps and encourage the growth of coral by giving the polyps an optimal place to live. Getting started is often the hardest process for polyps during the growth of coral reefs so by giving them a bit of a kickstart, we hope to get that process moving so that we can see exponential growth.
We will place these 3D printed habitats on the bottom of the SeaPod TriPod bases to encourage coral growth directly below the SeaPod. This will not only be a safe environment for the corals to grow but it will also provide you with a lively and healthy reef with plenty of marine life to enjoy, directly below your home. In the sense that a large garden could attract butterflies or hummingbirds, we want to have an underwater coral garden that attracts fish, corals, and other marine life.
Our focus does not end at the SeaPod though. Although we are putting in a ton of work on the SeaPod project, we also are always thinking about the health of the oceans in general. Starting in Litton Bay, Panama which is home to the Ocean Builders factory, we will be deploying these habitats into the local waters to promote reef growth. Our hope is that this technology can be used all around the world to help bring coral reefs back to the glory that they once had.
We will be using an onside 3D printer so that we can custom make these habitats depending on the location. This also cuts down on transportation time and costs since we can make them right where they will be deployed. We are still deciding which materials will work the best for this project but we will be doing some testing to determine that.
Once we have the habitats in the water, we have to plant the polyps in them so that they can safely grow the corals. We are partnering with a local group here in Panama named PanaSea who is helping us farm these polyps which we will plant in our artificial habitats.
While we are starting locally here in Litton Bay, we hope to be able to branch out and work with other organizations around the world to help spearhead the regrowth of coral reefs in oceans worldwide. This is a very important project for us here at Ocean Builders and we hope that you can share the same passion and excitement as you follow along!
