Oysters are good for more than just eating on the half shell: in New York City, they’re helping restore and preserve the harbour. This is due to the fact that an adult oyster can filter up to 50 gallons of water a day, and oyster reefs foster biodiversity and help protect shorelines.

The Billion Oyster Project (BOP) is on a mission to repopulate NY’s Harbour with 1 billion oysters by 2035, the same number that have disappeared from its waters over the past 100 years. BOP collects used oyster shells from restaurants and repurposes them for oyster larvae to attach onto, then drops oyster cages into NYC’s waters to grow.

Through various educational programmes, the organisation fosters local climate activism and helps empower young New Yorkers by teaching them about the city’s often-overlooked natural resources.

View the original video here.

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