Today we’d like to introduce you to Gator Halpern.
Gator, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I’ve always been connected to the ocean, spending my free time growing up at the beach and in the waves. Then after college, I went on a long backpacking trip through Central America, where I learned to SCUBA dive. I was immediately entranced by the beauty of coral reefs, and since then I’ve been lucky enough to travel to some of the world’s most amazing underwater ecosystems. While continually blown away by their magic, I also came to see how badly coral reefs are struggling to cope with human impacts and climate change. In many places reefs are entirely wiped out, and around the globe over 30% of our reefs are already dead. While getting my Master’s Degree in Environmental Management at the Yale School of Forestry I teamed up with my classmate and fellow ocean enthusiast Sam Teicher, and we decided to do whatever we could to help ensure reefs can survive an uncertain future. Together we created Coral Vita, a reef restoration company that is creating a network of high-tech land-based coral farms to tackle coral degradation head on.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Being lucky enough to travel as much as I have, working on development projects in remote Amazonian villages, Brazilian favelas, and African townships, I’ve learned that struggle is relative. Certainly, there have been hiccups and long stressful nights along the way, but all-in-all I’d say things have been as smooth as I could have ever wished. And I grew up in San Diego, what could be better than that!
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Coral Vita – what should we know?
Coral Vita is a reef restoration company that uses an innovative land-based farming model to revive degraded reefs with diverse, climate change-resilient corals.
Over 30% of our world’s coral reefs have died since the 1970s, and due to warming oceans and direct human impacts 75% of reefs are projected to die by 2050. This is both an ecological tragedy, with over 25% of marine life dependent on coral reefs, and a serious socio-economic catastrophe, as reefs support over 1B people and generate $30B annually through tourism, fisheries, and coastal protection.
There is hope, however, that we can keep these reefs alive. The process of coral farming, where coral fragments are grown in farms and then installed into reefs, is scientifically-proven to revitalize reef health and benefits. Coral Vita innovates on the traditional ocean-based farming model in order to enhance and scale the impact of reef restoration. Our land-based farms integrate new methods to accelerate coral growth up to 50x while enhancing their resiliency to warming and acidifying oceans.
Our restoration projects directly benefit local communities by increasing fish stocks, protecting shorelines from storm surges, boosting tourism, and creating jobs. Through financially sustainable and high ecological impact restoration, we can help preserve reefs for future generations.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
Optimism. You have to believe that you are going to succeed and make a difference. At times it can seem like all the momentum is going against you. Especially in the realm of environmental conservation and climate change, there is a lot of doom and gloom. But we have to be optimistic about our ability to build something that is worthwhile and that can really affect change. If you’re not optimistic, it’s too easy to give up.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.coralvita.co
- Email: info@coralvita.co
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coralvitareefs/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CoralVitaReefs/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/coralvitareefs
Image Credit:
Photo credit for Carysfort reef photo (4 parts dying over time): Phil Dustan.
All other photo credits: Coral Vita
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