Thanks guys. Your comments are well taken. Let me see if I can clearly/concisely address some of these points.
Blue Nomad Foundation's Mission: Develop opensource, freely distributable technologies to use algae to bioremediate dirty/contaminated water sources and use the biomass to produce precursors to biodegradable biopolymers towards displacing petroleum-based plastics.
Funding Sources: We will start with a crowdfunding campaign, then pursue institutional and high net-worth individual contributions
Kinds of Research to be pursued: Bioprospecting and testing of various strains of algae globally. Metabolic engineering of species to enhance their productivity and develop feedstocks for biopolymers. Discover ways to apply the research in varied global environments. Growth and production studies in toxic wastewater environments to learn more about how algae adsorb toxins. Study ways to separate the toxins from the biomass.
Where will this technology be applicable? Globally. Our intention is to fund research which will provide solutions to clean polluted water sources throughout the world and give locals a tool to generate an income stream by selling algae-produced feedstocks into the bioplastics industry. We plan to work with international scientists, DIYBio'ers, and citizens who are interested to create an income stream from these feedstocks, while cleaning water along the way.
Why should the DIYBio community support our campaign? I believe this has some interesting value propositions for DIYBio. First, BNF wants to support and raise money for research in DIYBio labs/garages across the globe where citizen scientists are interested to work on projects consistent with BNF's mission.. Second, I believe that funding this kind of research in a DIYBio setting establishes an excellent image for our community and demonstrates how citizen scientists can work on real-world challenges and find real-world solutions through mass collaboration and openscience. Third, our community needs to show how synthetic biology is not just about GMO foods, but rather finding powerful solutions to global/environmental challenges. It's a story which helps all of us. BNF intends to push this aggressively in the press to help the DIYBio image. Finally, I think there is a possibility to create DIYBio collaborations with professional institutions which should be valuable.
Why is BNF focusing on the Salton Sea in Southern California? This geographic location is a wonderful starting point for research. There is an environmental disaster in the making there with polluted water flowing in from Mexico. It is a perfect place to grow algae with lots of sunshine and virtually free land. California has a number of DIYBio labs forming which could work towards our mission. However, BNF sees this location as only a starting point. We would like to raise money to fund this research globally. There are global citizens everywhere who want to see clean water and get rid of plastic. BNF wants to translate this passion into support for the DIYBio community. Lastly, as Patrik alluded to, the Salton Sea is an interesting place for bioprospecting. It is in the middle of the desert, very hot in the Summer, has lots of geothermal activity, and the lake has a salinity of 4-5%. A DIYBio camp there could be fun and bioprospecting might turn up something novel.
How can the DIYBio community help make this happen? BNF needs a project to fund. We have been thinking of producing some kind of biopolymer for a biodegradable algae-based shopping bag. However, we are not sure yet if this is achievable in our first project, especially since we are probably only going to raise a few tens of thousands of dollars for the initial research. Does anyone have thoughts on what might be a good concrete initial project for our crowdfunding campaign? Lastly, we are seeking input from the community on how we can spin this campaign in a way which makes it an attractive one to support. We can't give away glowing plants, but we CAN bring money into our community and raise awareness about why this community is important and valuable.
I would appreciate any contributions from this list. I am a very big supporter of DIYBio and want to see the community flourish.
Thanks
Cameron
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