Young Leaders Make Strides in Blue Carbon Restoration and Education
EarthEcho International's Blue Carbon Ambassador program engages BIPOC youth, ages 17–20, from frontline coastal communities in North America, in a hands-on professional learning experience designed to introduce participants to the role of blue carbon ecosystems (including kelp, seagrass, mangroves, and salt marshes) in addressing the climate crisis. In 2025, we hosted fourteen Blue Carbon Ambassadors who took action in their local communities—building new skillsets, bridging residents' daily lives with the impact on their delicate waterways, and creating connections across others who care for the planet globally and want to act locally. Supported by 21 mentors and alumni, fourteen young people designed and led community-driven restoration projects across New York City, Puerto Rico, New Orleans, and Vancouver.
Over the 2025 year, the Ambassadors and nearly 7,000 participants planted 1,735 mangroves, cultivated 78.6 meters of kelp and seaweed lines, and removed 603.7 kgs of litter from coastal environments.
Here are their stories:
Acadia Li - Come Back of Kelp
Project Summary: Acadia Li started with a goal of restoring the degrading kelp forests along BC’s coast. Connecting with North Island College in Campbell River, she met with Soheyl Mottahedeh, an inventor of the BioSeedeX. The BioSeedeX is the first prototype of a kelp bioreactor and is based on an Arduino system. It is self-sufficient with an automatic thermostat, air bubbler, and light setting. For Acadia’s project, she experimented with it to see how it can better serve a high school student community. Initially, the kelp nursery was tested with Nereocystis gametophytes from the Martone Lab at the University of British Columbia. Currently, Nereocystis gametophytes from North Island College are being grown inside. Roughly 600mL of bull kelp gametophytes have been cultivated. In April 2026, Acadia will present her findings at North Island College’s Research Day, where she will spread awareness on kelp deforestation, blue carbon ecosystems, and the BioSeedeX. When she does so, she aims to outplant the kelp that has grown in the BioSeedeX, which is expected to be 75m in length. Acadia has already reached over 700 people through her project. She has been featured on EarthEcho International’s Instagram, talked about her and Soheyl’s work on her own podcast ‘Ocean Frequencies’, presented at the Ocean Wise Youth Showcase in Vancouver, shared her work with teachers and classmates at Lord Byng Secondary, and was interviewed by a reporter at the Vancouver Sun who wrote an article about Acadia’s work. For the 2026 Blue Carbon Ambassador cohort, Acadia will act as a mentor for a youth in BC who will remain working with the BioSeedeX. She is eager to see how the future of Vancouver’s kelp forests will be restored.
Acadia: “The way EarthEcho staff engage with us as real leaders and colleagues is truly inspiring. With their guidance and support, I feel that my actions towards safeguarding blue carbon ecosystems are truly making a powerful difference."
Sophia Deng & Angel Jean-Remy - Biodiversity Survey of Newtown Creek
Project Summary: Phi and Angel built a biodiversity monitoring structure for their local restoration partner’s sugar kelp operation. Using metal mesh to house a spool seeded with sugar kelp, they deployed the structure in New York City at Newtown Creek, located in between Brooklyn and Queens. The goal of their project was to participate in restoring seaweed to Newtown Creek, and support their partner, Seaweed City, by creating a method for monitoring biodiversity at their current and future sites. As the sugar kelp grows on their structure, they will be able to pull it out of the water and collect data on all of the marine life that grows in and around the seaweed.
Angel: “Thanks to the Blue Carbon Ambassador program I no longer feel outcast from the marine science field and I can see so many new potential opportunities for my future.”
Phi: “I had a great experience with the Blue Carbon Ambassador program. My favorite part was being able to connect with youth marine advocates from all over the world during the San Diego conference. The connections made with like-minded peers and local nonprofits were immensely impactful in my journey as a marine advocate.”
Jarelys Merle Crespo - EcoCare Puerto Rico
Project Summary: EcoCare PR is a project focused on coastal restoration, environmental education, and community engagement across western Puerto Rico. Throughout the project period, a total of nine major activities were successfully implemented, including large-scale beach cleanups, mangrove restoration events, educational outreach efforts, and the construction of a mangrove nursery at CROEM High School. The project removed approximately 550 kilograms of marine debris from coastal environments through coordinated cleanups in Aguadilla and Añasco in collaboration with organizations like Surfrider UPRM from the University of Puerto Rico in Mayaguez, mobilizing hundreds of volunteers. Restoration activities resulted in the planting of 1,000 mangroves and 70 native coastal trees in ecologically significant areas such as the Guajataca River estuary and Tres Palmas Marine Reserve. Additionally, 150 mangrove propagules were collected to support future restoration work and donated for the CROEM nursery.
A key achievement was the construction of a mangrove nursery at CROEM High School, which created an educational platform for students to actively participate in coastal conservation and restoration practices. Educational efforts also included a screening of the film Blue Carbon Nature’s Hidden, environmental awareness social media campaigns, and content highlighting conservation threats affecting Tres Palmas Marine Reserve. In total, the initiative directly engaged over 700 participants in restoration and educational activities and reached more than 180,000 people through social media outreach and public engagement efforts. The project strengthened collaboration with local organizations, schools, and community volunteers, helping build long-term environmental stewardship in the region. Future plans include continuing the expansion of the mangrove nursery, supporting additional restoration events in degraded coastal ecosystems, and increasing youth participation and scientific monitoring efforts to ensure sustainable ecosystem recovery.
Jarelys: “The Blue Carbon Ambassador Program has been an excellent opportunity that allowed me to transform environmental concern into real community action. Through this experience, I was able to engage youth, mobilize volunteers, and contribute to the restoration of coastal ecosystems in Puerto Rico. This program strengthened my leadership skills, and motivated me to continue working toward sustainable solutions.”
Jafet Santos Maldonado - Ensenada Azul
Project Summary: To raise awareness for mangrove protection, restoration, and conservation, I hosted a series of events to engage my community in diverse ways. These brought the community members together around this topic. I started the project by hosting a film screening event as part of the GenSea Blue Carbon Challenge at a local coffee shop Then later collaborated with the coffee shop again to host a shark workshop focusing on the species of the area and their relationship with mangroves, and a propagule mangrove collecting day. To raise awareness of the importance of mangroves related to water quality I hosted a workshop at a school. In collaboration with other Blue Carbon Ambassadors from Puerto Rico, we hosted two mangrove restoration events planting a total of 930 mangrove trees and 70 other coastal tree species.
Jafet: “I was always puzzled about how to share the things I loved with others. But as I ordered my usual cup of coffee, I realized that all it took was that cup and a simple catch-up with the coffee shop owner to make the moment meaningful. It was there that my journey as a Blue Carbon Ambassador gained momentum, as I began connecting with others the same way I connect with friends and family. ”
Isabella Allwood - Jardin Vert
Project Summary: Jardin Vert is a Blue Carbon Ambassador project created by Isabella Allwood, a native New Yorker with a passion for connecting with local marine communities and advancing ocean conservation. The goal of Jardin Vert is to cultivate over eight pounds of ulva (sea lettuce), a species native to New York City waterways, and reintroduce it to the coastal ecosystem of Governors Island. In partnership with Seaweed City and the Harbor School on Governors Island, Isabella designed and built a dedicated ulva cultivation tank at the Harbor School. This system uses the process of fragmentation, a method that promotes seaweed growth and regeneration.
Isabella developed this project with a focus on creating a lasting environmental and educational impact. After initial research into effective ulva growth methods, she was inspired by techniques observed at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography during the 2025 EarthEcho Retreat in San Diego, California. She adapted these methods for use in New York City’s marine environment.
Throughout the project, Isabella collaborated with students, educators, and marine advocates across New York City, gaining insight into native ulva sourcing, local water conditions, and the technical aspects of building and maintaining the tank system. She also engaged directly with the community by speaking with seniors at the Harbor School and presenting her work at the 2026 EarthEcho Youth Leadership New York City Summit to both high school and college students. Jardin Vert is designed to extend beyond its initial implementation. Isabella envisions the ulva tank as an ongoing resource for Harbor School students, supporting future internships, hands-on learning, and continued research. The project also contributes to expanding Seaweed City’s seaweed cultivation efforts.
Isabella has successfully completed the construction of the ulva tank and is currently focused on sourcing native New York ulva to begin the next phase of cultivation and restoration.
Isabella: “I had a great time as a Blue Carbon Ambassador. Aside from all the memories and friendships I made at the retreat, the experience has provided me with a lot of knowledge and skills I can utilize in my professional marine studies career and how to navigate doing so.”
Isabella Negrón Casillas, Nicole Sánchez, Aurora Espasas - Raíces del Mar
Project Summary: The Raíces del mar project consisted of creating a basic mangrove nursery in a high school carrying around 200+ red mangrove seeds. Throughout the school year there were various mangrove restoration field days around Puerto Rico engaging a wide range of students. It created an educational impact about blue carbon ecosystems by providing young students with real life experiences and bringing these experiences into every school day. It's planned to use the nursery seedlings in future restoration days and it's also expected to engage elementary school students with blue carbon ecosystems ultimately creating a more environmentally conscious school community that involves itself in restoration initiatives.
Aurora: “The Blue Carbon Ambassador program pushed me to do something I’d never done before: start a project I’m passionate about from zero. This program taught me to do things like writing a proposal, building a budget, dividing and organizing responsibilities, but more importantly, I was able to plant my seed in a project that will help Puerto Rico’s ecosystem, and I am very grateful for that.”
Nicole: “The Blue Carbon Ambassador program was an experience I'll forever cherish. It was hard to develop a project of such impact with no prior experience but everything about this program made each step to this goal easier and everyone that helped us along the way was always attentive and supportive to all our ideas. I will never forget this experience since it’s opened my eyes to so many new opportunities environmentally and many new friendships I will always hold close.”
Isabella: “The Blue Carbon Ambassadorship reminded me of a concept: Ubuntu, I am because we are. The time spent on this program reminded me of the importance of community when it comes to battling such huge enemies such as rapid climate change and the ignorance that leads it but having been in this program reminded me that the kind of enemy I'm battling isn't meant to be fought alone and within EarthEcho I found myself surrounded by a community that innately understands what our union signifies for true climate action.”
Paige Parent, Jyah Hamilton, and Bryce Black - Roots of Restoration
Project Summary: The Roots of Restoration team planted 109 cypress trees in Bayou Bienvenue and tracked the growth of 70 that were planted the year prior. They engaged a total of 45 people in their project through the collaboration with the Lower 9th Ward Center for Sustainable Development and Engagement, their local partner organization, an education planting day in the Miyawaki Forest, through social outreach to a college, Dillard, softball team and two high school clubs.
Paige: “I enjoyed my time with the Blue Carbon Ambassadors. It had its rough moments but our project manager, Tori, was very supportive and assuring when it came to bumps in the road. She helped steer us clear. I enjoyed meeting the other ambassadors and being able to hear about everyone’s bright ideas!”
Jyah Hamilton: “Being part of this program really opened my eyes to how young people can really get involved with their environment and their community around them. I love being around people who are my age, have the same aspirations and same goals.”
Bryce Black: “The Blue Carbon Ambassador program was a really great experience for me. I want to become an environmental biologist, and this has been a dream of mine for a long time. This program helped me learn more about what that career is actually like and gave me a better understanding of environmental science. It also showed me different ways I can start working toward my goals even at the age of 17.”
Elizabeth Torres Priego -
Project Summary: Elizabeth’s project united students at her high school for a kelp themed watch party of Blue Carbon Nature’s Hidden Power. During her school’s art club meeting, Elizabeth hosted a movie day where participants engaged in a blue carbon ecosystem 101 lesson, created art using paint made from kelp, ate snacks, and then watched the film.
Elizabeth: “The Blue Carbon Ambassador program is a program where I was inspired by many people which has inspired me more to advocate our ocean and the earth. They are truly the kindest people you'll ever meet and very fun to be around with.”
