Latest news with #RestingReef
The Star
2 days ago
- Business
- The Star
Building artificial coral reefs made from human ashes to restore marine life
A British startup is building memorial reef structures out of human ashes. — AFP A British start-up has come up with the original and surprising idea of building artificial coral reefs made from human ashes to help restore marine life. The technique was tested in Bali, Indonesia in 2024 and has already proven successful, demonstrating fish diversity 14 times greater than degraded areas nearby. In recent years, the funeral industry has been slowly shifting towards more eco-friendly services, with biodegradable urns made from 100% natural materials (clay, salt, earth, sand, plants), recycled cardboard coffins, and even bicycle hearses now available. But British company Resting Reef is taking innovation even further by offering a service that helps restore the seabed by providing underwater habitats made with human ashes. Founded by designers Aura Murillo Perez and Louise Skajem, this startup uses a process known as "aquamation', a funerary technique that involves dissolving the tissues of a living organism in a heated alkaline liquid, then grinding the bones into a white powder similar to the human ashes obtained by cremation. With this concept, Resting Reef aims (as stated on its website) to "... redefine the death care industry landscape and evolve the way we all perceive, experience, and interact with death.' The idea is also to offer an eco-friendly, meaningful and purposeful alternative to conventional methods of commemorating a loved one. To do this, the company mixes human (or animal) ashes obtained through aquamation with crushed oyster shells and concrete, creating a material whose properties enhance marine growth, The Guardian reports. Once this mixture has been obtained, it is moulded into structures similar to those formed by corals. These artificial reefs are then submerged to sit on sea and ocean floors, at a depth of about 10m. "The reef sites themselves provide families and friends with the opportunity to visit beautiful natural areas as part of the commemoration of their loved ones. Loved ones may also choose a memento. These are replicas of the reef structures kept at home, as a link to the structures on the seafloor," the Resting Reef founders state. A "pilot' reef was created in Bali in 2024 using the remains of pets donated by their owners. "The pilot project attracted 84 fish species and achieved fish diversity 14 times greater than nearby degraded areas,' Auro Murillo Perez told The Guardian. The next step for the founders of this startup is to move on to human ashes and obtain licenses to roll out their concept in the port city of Plymouth in England. All over the world, the survival of coral reefs is under threat. Ocean warming is causing coral bleaching, which leads to their death. Added to this danger are ocean acidification, water pollution, overfishing and coral predators. According to figures from a Unesco study published in 2017, most coral reefs are at risk of disappearing by 2050. – AFP Relaxnews
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Reefs made from human ashes could revive British seabeds, says startup
Death is killing our planet. That is the stark assessment of a new business offering an innovative alternative: to have your loved one's ashes made into a reef and anchored to the British seabed. There are increasing concerns about the environmental cost of traditional funerals: a single burial generates 833kg of CO2, while a typical cremation has a footprint of about 400kg CO2. In addition, 1.6m tonnes of concrete and 14,000 tonnes of steel is used every year for building graves in the US. Chemicals from embalming processes seep into the soil. But now a British startup, Resting Reef, is redefining what a cemetery can be by turning the ashes of humans into memorial reef structures. 'Cemeteries should be places that reconnect us with nature and remind us that we're part of a larger ecosystem,' said Aura Pérez, the company's co-founder who met her business partner, Louise Skajem, when they were doing their masters at the Royal College of Art and Imperial College London. Resting Reef uses aquamation, an alkaline process for cremation, to combine pet or human ashes with crushed oyster shells and concrete into a material proven to enhance marine growth. 'Artificial oyster reefs can help regenerate marine growth but 85% have been lost due to human activities, so we are using animal and human ashes to replace them,' said Perez. The formula is then 3D printed into reef structures designed to create diverse habitats for a variety of fish species through differing heights, textures and tunnel systems. When the reef is ready, it is anchored to the seabed at a depth of about 10 metres where it will regenerate marine biodiversity, filter water and prevent coastal erosion. The reefs can capture as much as 2.2m kg of CO2 in three years. Resting Reef began incorporating the ashes of pets into artificial reefs in Bali, Indonesia, last year. But demand has been so great that the company is opening up the offer to humans. The company is working to secure licences to replace degraded seabeds with artificial reefs at the Plymouth Breakwater on the south coast of England, a 1,560m stone breakwater protecting the Plymouth Sound. 'It's time for the death industry to change: we want to shift the industry from focusing on death, to life and regenerate growth,' said Pérez. The business has won the Terra Carta Design Lab, a global competition established by King Charles and the British designer Sir Jony Ive, and an Innovate UK grant. The co-founders were named in the Forbes 30 Under 30 list for Social Impact in Europe. 'We conducted a pilot reef in Bali in 2024, collaborating with the local Balinese community,' said Pérez. 'We have placed 24 memorial reefs for beloved cats, dogs, lizards, fish and exotic birds for owners in the US, UK and other countries. 'The pilot project attracted 59 fish species and achieved fish diversity 12 times greater than nearby degraded areas,' she added. 'This is very exciting.' 'We do not see ourselves working with death but rather providing better lives for coming generations by changing a very polluting industry and practice,' said Skajem, whose masters was on the decline of oyster reefs and coral reefs due to the climate crisis and human activities. Resting Reefs hopes to have the UK licences in 2026 and establish the first reef six to 12 months later. Human memorials have an initial cost of £3,900 although families can pay more for a range of curated activities at the site. Prof Rick Stafford, who specialises in artificial reefs and marine biodiversity at Bournemouth University, praised the company for increasing local biodiversity. 'Resting Reefs is different from other companies because it focuses on enhancing biodiversity close to the shore,' he said. 'It's entirely in line with environmental policies like protecting 30% of the world's land and sea by 2030, and the Marine Net Gain policy to ensure developments in the marine environment leave the ecosystem in a better state than before, with a focus on improving biodiversity.' Peter Holt, director and co-founder of the Plymouth-based Ships project, a marine consultancy service, also praised the business. 'I'm very excited by the project and its potential to improve marine habitats and support a range of maritime industries,' he said. 'The project has received support from the whole community here, including the King's Harbour Master, because it will potentially boost diving tourism and fishing, while aligning with the Plymouth Sound national marine park's goals to re-engage the public with marine life.'
The Guardian
11-06-2025
- Business
- The Guardian
Reefs made from human ashes could revive British seabeds, says startup
Death is killing our planet. That is the stark assessment of a new business offering an innovative alternative: to have your loved one's ashes made into a reef and anchored to the British seabed. There are increasing concerns about the environmental cost of traditional funerals: a single burial generates 833kg of CO2, while a typical cremation has a footprint of about 400kg CO2. In addition, 1.6m tonnes of concrete and 14,000 tonnes of steel is used every year for building graves in the US. Chemicals from embalming processes seep into the soil. But now a British startup, Resting Reef, is redefining what a cemetery can be by turning the ashes of humans into memorial reef structures. 'Cemeteries should be places that reconnect us with nature and remind us that we're part of a larger ecosystem,' said Aura Pérez, the company's co-founder who met her business partner, Louise Skajem, when they were doing their masters at the Royal College of Art and Imperial College London. Resting Reef uses aquamation, an alkaline process for cremation, to combine pet or human ashes with crushed oyster shells and concrete into a material proven to enhance marine growth. 'Artificial oyster reefs can help regenerate marine growth but 85% have been lost due to human activities, so we are using animal and human ashes to replace them,' said Perez. The formula is then 3D printed into reef structures designed to create diverse habitats for a variety of fish species through differing heights, textures and tunnel systems. When the reef is ready, it is anchored to the seabed at a depth of about 10 metres where it will regenerate marine biodiversity, filter water and prevent coastal erosion. The reefs can capture as much as 2.2m kg of CO2 in three years. Resting Reef began incorporating the ashes of pets into artificial reefs in Bali, Indonesia, last year. But demand has been so great that the company is opening up the offer to humans. The company is working to secure licences to replace degraded seabeds with artificial reefs at the Plymouth Breakwater on the south coast of England, a 1,560m stone breakwater protecting the Plymouth Sound. 'It's time for the death industry to change: we want to shift the industry from focusing on death, to life and regenerate growth,' said Pérez. The business has won the Terra Carta Design Lab, a global competition established by King Charles and the British designer Sir Jony Ive, and an Innovate UK grant. The co-founders were named in the Forbes 30 Under 30 list for Social Impact in Europe. 'We conducted a pilot reef in Bali in 2024, collaborating with the local Balinese community,' said Pérez. 'We have placed 24 memorial reefs for beloved cats, dogs, lizards, fish and exotic birds for owners in the US, UK and other countries. 'The pilot project attracted 59 fish species and achieved fish diversity 12 times greater than nearby degraded areas,' she added. 'This is very exciting.' Sign up to Down to Earth The planet's most important stories. Get all the week's environment news - the good, the bad and the essential after newsletter promotion 'We do not see ourselves working with death but rather providing better lives for coming generations by changing a very polluting industry and practice,' said Skajem, whose masters was on the decline of oyster reefs and coral reefs due to the climate crisis and human activities. Resting Reefs hopes to have the UK licences in 2026 and establish the first reef six to 12 months later. Human memorials have an initial cost of £3,900 although families can pay more for a range of curated activities at the site. Prof Rick Stafford, who specialises in artificial reefs and marine biodiversity at Bournemouth University, praised the company for increasing local biodiversity. 'Resting Reefs is different from other companies because it focuses on enhancing biodiversity close to the shore,' he said. 'It's entirely in line with environmental policies like protecting 30% of the world's land and sea by 2030, and the Marine Net Gain policy to ensure developments in the marine environment leave the ecosystem in a better state than before, with a focus on improving biodiversity.' Peter Holt, director and co-founder of the Plymouth-based Ships project, a marine consultancy service, also praised the business. 'I'm very excited by the project and its potential to improve marine habitats and support a range of maritime industries,' he said. 'The project has received support from the whole community here, including the King's Harbour Master, because it will potentially boost diving tourism and fishing, while aligning with the Plymouth Sound national marine park's goals to re-engage the public with marine life.'
Fast Company
22-05-2025
- Business
- Fast Company
This artificial reef is made of pet ashes. Human ashes are next
In June 2024, a team of divers sank a curious assortment of 24 sculptures off the northern coast of Bali. The sculptures look like works of art—and in many ways they are. But they are also memorial reefs that turn cremated ashes into structures that regenerate marine life. Over the past three years, a British startup called Resting Reef has been working to revamp the death care industry. Instead of keeping ashes inside an urn (which often ends up gathering dust on a shelf) or scattering ashes at sea (a fleeting gesture that leaves no lasting trace), you can have Resting Reef integrate them into an underwater memorial that can double as an artificial reef. Now, the results are in: Nearly a year after being placed on an otherwise barren stretch of seabed in Bali, the artificial reefs have attracted more than 46 new marine species. The site now boasts four times the fish biodiversity of the nearest comparable location thanks, in part, to the turf algae and coralline algae that have grown on the surface of the reefs, providing habitat for many marine organisms. The Bali reef pilot, which was funded by six government grants from the U.K., is the only such reef in the world. (It consists of pets ashes, but reefs made with human ashes are coming next.) The team is also in conversations with sites in Plymouth, U.K., and in Mexico. 'Just as we have a cemetery around the corner, in the future we'll have memorial sites—marine sites—opening around the world,' says Aura Elena Murillo Pérez, who cofounded Resting Reefs with Louise Lenborg Skajem. The final deadline for Fast Company's Brands That Matter Awards is Friday, May 30, at 11:59 p.m. PT. Apply today.
