$330 raised
·8 donations
Outplanting Coral 8th of June '25 In The Florida Keys
Donation protected
Hi, my name is Janet and I'm originally from Southern California, USA. Currently, I'm a proud second year student at The University of Canterbury in New Zealand studying Biological Sciences and was awarded with the Charles and Elizabeth Chilton Memorial Scholarship. I had no idea that I would be attending university again this soon as I was still employed 2 weeks prior to the commencement of semester one in my first year. With unfortunate events leading up to my unemployment early February last year, I accepted the fact that I would not be participating in Coralpalooza again last June for World Ocean Day.
I had previously participated as a diver in Coralpalooza for 2023, an annual event organised by Coral Restoration Foundation. The event invites volunteers from all over the world to participate in an annual event of coral outplanting in the Florida Keys for World Ocean Day. This foundation has supported my journey in becoming a marine biologist since 2020. They provided me with resources to local conservation projects in New Zealand (Waiheke Marine Project and Kelp Gardeners), online education and training (GreenFins), and leading me to becoming the successful candidate of the Jorge Beale Hyperbaric Training Grant. I owe it to this organisation in so many ways.
In September of 2019, my dear friend Tomas Alvarez asked me what I would do if I won the lottery not one time, but a second time. What would I do with the money after I've done all the things I wanted to do being a lottery winner? I sat for a few minutes and answered, "I'd start a coral restoration project". During lockdown of March 2020, I researched and made contact with Coral Restoration Foundation. It took me down this rabbit hole where I learned about their annual project, Coralpalooza, and was determined to be a helping hand in this project once the world was able to travel again.
Our oceans have been going through acidification due to heavy intake of CO2 (several hundred ppm) and temperatures rising at alarming rates. This increases the acidity of the ocean consequently affecting the calcium carbonate which is the skeleton of coral. The threshold of change for corals is between 1 and 2 degrees Celsius, so anything beyond 2 degrees would cause significant distress to corals resulting in coral bleaching (turning white). What causes the coral to turn white is the symbiotic algae called zooxanthellae leaving the coral tissue. For a better understanding, have a watch of Chasing Coral on Netflix and come back and tell me if this doesn't break your heart.
Losing my full time job in the medical industry, and the highest paying job I've ever held in New Zealand as an immigrant at the time, was a mental blessing in disguise to me because it finally allowed me the space to do and study what it is that I really wanted to do with my life; to become a marine biologist. I've been in the medical industry most of my life and was good at it, but did not love it. Now, I've never been so sure of anything in my life until that moment I enrolled at UC.
I went to the boat show in Auckland mid-May, as I do every year for last 3 years. There, I spoke with the usual biosecurity and marine conservation groups (Seaweek, Clean Below Good To Go, New Zealand Ministery of Fisheries), and I realised I didn't want to accept the fact that I wouldn't be able to participate in this year's coral outplanting project for World Ocean Day, again, due to the lack of funds to afford the below:
1) Roundtrip flights from Christchurch, New Zealand to Miami, Florida, USA. $3,300NZD
2) Rental car to drive down to Key Largo where the outplanting would take place $400NZD
3) 2 nights accommodation in Florida $400NZD
4) Dive gear rental (BCD, fins, regulator) $200NZD
So I've started this GoFundMe in hopes that a few individuals around the world would believe in the reason behind my drive for wanting to participate again on Sunday the 8th of June 2025. For a better understanding of what it is that you are funding, please watch the video I created from 2023's Coralpalooza. Thank you again for your support and donation, this means more to me than you know.
Janet
Donations
Organizer
Janet Wang
Organizer
Cerritos, CA