We are so excited to finally be able to present this year's first finalist team – Team Tide Tiles.
Who are team Tide Tiles?
Caroline: I am majoring in public policy with a minor in business studies. I am interested in exploring the type of policy/law that I would like to study in the future and this challenge was a great way to introduce me to environmental and sustainability topics.
Sabrina: I'm a freshman at Bentley University and plan to major in data analytics with a minor in marketing. I find various aspects of a business intriguing but with that interest, there is an unfortunate and notable pattern in the corporate world that reveals a lack of regard for a healthy environment. The Ocean Community Challenge allowed us to propose a product that combines business knowledge with the oceans we know, love, and want to protect.
Jack: I'm a junior at Bentley University where I'm currently studying sustainability science with a minor in finance. All my life, I have been told the importance of protecting our environment and this has led me to have a strong feeling of needing to protect and preserve the delicate ecosystems that we have already caused so much damage to. I hope that by participating in the Ocean Community Challenge, our group can begin being the change that our world so desperately needs.
Stephanie: I'm a sophomore at Bentley University and am planning on studying management with a concentration in supply and chain and a minor in finance. I’ve always had a fascination for the ocean and spending this year learning about that environment and the ways it’s being damaged has enlightened me on being more aware of what one person's actions can do to the environment. I found myself interested in pursuing what needs to be done to protect our oceans. This project has allowed me to use my knowledge in business and apply it to finding and implementing a solution for our damaged oceans.
Kaitlyn: As a current freshman at Bentley University, I plan to study Data Analytics as well as Law. I hope to eventually use my studies in a career that prioritizes sustainability and the environment, both things I care about. I believe educating the public on the importance of the ocean to our survival is a crucial first step in gathering support for a change. Working with the incredible leaders of the OCC allows me to combine all my passions and use my knowledge for a proper cause.
As a team, we are excited to take our vision to the next level!
Tell us a bit about your solution
Our project focuses on creating a circular economy by taking discarded shellfish and grinding them up into a fine powder. The powder would then be put into a mold and have water added to it to create a tile that would later be sold to organizations, whether it be oysters farms, estuaries, or other businesses. These tiles would be put into the ocean and other bodies of saltwater and would help attract oyster spats that would later grow into oysters that could be sold to restaurants or fisheries or just left to create a healthy ecosystem.
The tiles would serve as a cost-effective, sustainable, and waste-eliminating product that would help clean waters and fix unbalanced ecosystems that have been harmed and had their oyster populations depleted due to overharvesting and unclean waterways.
What made you apply to the Ocean Community Challenge?
All of us are passionate about protecting the environment and so with the Ocean Community Challenge, it allowed us to use our business background and mindset to come up with a creative idea that would help create a circular economy and lessen waste. We have all seen businesses stand stagnant for too long and do more harm than good so we decided that the OCC provided us with the perfect opportunity to be a part of the change that our generation will be bringing to the business world.