What Is GlassRoots.ky?

It all started with a conversation around what to do with our glass bottles and a surf around the web to see what others were doing.

The conversation grew legs and brought together a few more individuals, with expertise in environmental preservation, agronomy, and horticulture.

All excited about the prospect of a waste stream being put to work for the environment, and increasing sustainability, we agreed to seek endorsement from a respected institution like Darwin.

Glassroots KY is the name of our project and our aspirations beyond it.

Our Team

Carbon sequestration super powers:

According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), seagrass meadows can store up to 1,000 metric tonnes of carbon per hectare. A gross estimate for mangroves suggests 0.3 tonnes of carbon dioxide over its lifetime, grossly equivalent to what is produced when driving 732.9 miles in a standard car (source)

Mangrove loss 70%

According to DoE, at least 70% of mangroves (3844 acres) have already been lost on the western side of Grand Cayman since 1976.

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Mangrove loss

According to DoE, at least 70% of mangroves (3844 acres) have already been lost on the western side of Grand Cayman since 1976.

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Poor sustainability record

Cayman produces 5x more waste per capita than the global average, less than 3% of it is recycled.

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Georgetown landfill

We estimate that more than 20 million pounds of glass have been disposed of in the Georgetown landfill since glass recycling ceased in November 2022.

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Carbon sequestration super powers

According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), seagrass meadows can store up to 1,000 metric tonnes of carbon per hectare..

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We Need Support

Support

Saving Endangered Species

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Raised:$79,000Goal:$100,000

Health

Water Treatment Projects

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Raised:$88,100Goal:$100,000

Support

Saving Animal Preserve

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Raised:$86,950Goal:$100,000

What Glassroots KY is all about

Glassroots KY aims to test and measure whether crushed recycled glass can be used to restore depleted mangrove and seagrass populations in the Cayman Islands and as a soil amendment to create a fertile low-carbon footprint soils for growing food crops.

Through this study, we aim to demonstrate that waste streams such as glass and organic matter, which this island has in abundance, can be immensely more valuable when redirected towards wetland preservation and farming, thus helping to solve some of Cayman’s priority environmental concerns in a sustainable way.

The project work is broken into three main focus areas: Red mangroves, seagrass and farming.

Read more about this in our approach section.

The Darwin Iniatitive

Glassrootks KY received a grant from the Darwin initiative. The Darwin Initiative is a UK government grants scheme that helps to protect biodiversity and the natural environment in developing countries. The initiative provides funding for projects that aim to conserve biodiversity, ecosystems, and natural resources, while also promoting sustainable development and poverty reduction. The Darwin Initiative has funded over 1,100 projects in more than 160 countries since its inception in 1992.

Learn About The Darwin Iniatitive

Our Partners

Glassroots KY not only represents the name of our project but also encapsulates our vision for a sustainable and eco-conscious future in the Cayman Islands.

We invite you to explore our Partners page to discover the ever-expanding network of individuals and organizations that have played a pivotal role in bringing the Glassroots KY initiative to its present stage, reinforcing our commitment to environmental preservation and community engagement