12 Rapid Reasons to Support our Crowdfunding Campaign

 

Want to win at everything? Donating to Underwater Forest Project – our campaign to reforest the sea off the coast of Sydney – has more upsides than tying helium balloons to a deckchair. Let us count the ways.

 

1. One Crayweed = Tonnes of Crayweed

Underwater forests aren’t like the ones on land that eventually produce more trees on their own. 20m2 plot of crayweed have been shown to expand to 400m2 within two years. That’s 20 times bigger! Beats the stock market.

 

2. Tonnes of Crayweed = Tonnes of Marine Life

Zones with heaps of crayweed forest support 7-10 times more abalone. Dive below reforested areas like Cabbage Tree Bay and you’ll find them throbbing with sea life. Crayweed also supports Crayfish, Bream, Mulloway, and a whole range of species that specifically rely on it. Thanks Daddy Crayweed!

You’re not just creating a forest, you’re helping create a whole ecosystem!

 

3. Great Perks at Every Donation Tier

A $25 donation (basically = one crayweed planted) gets you a 75mL We Are Feel Good sunscreen. $50? A 12 pack of Athletic Brewing Co. beers. Donate $100 and you’ll get one of our limited edition Project Blank tees. Tees cost like fifty bucks anyway, we reckon it’s a pretty good deal.

 

 

Big spenders can get a Project Blank towel and portable drink cooler drybag if they donate $150, or for $200 you’ll nab a pair of Costa sunglasses. I’m pretty sure they RRP for $300. #hacks

Oh and if you donate $500 your perks stack. You get everything mentioned above AND a Wild Magazine subscription. Drop one donation to cover a bunch of Chrissy presents*, or pool your mates and divvy up the loot.

Donate Now!

 

4. Crayweed Stores Atmospheric Carbon

There’s too much of the stuff floating around in the air and a lot of it’s our fault. Help us fund Operation Crayweed’s replanting efforts and your dollars will become swaying seaweeds in the liquid breeze, all made of yummy carbon.

 

5. Why should Wollongong and Newcastle have all the fun?

This one’s for Sydneysiders. You know it’s just you right? 70km of Sydney’s coastline is missing crayweed forests because we essentially pumped poo directly onto the beaches.

But we can fix it! By stealing a little bit of crayweed from Wollongong and Newcastle and replanting it in our own moist backyard.

 

6. 100% of Your Money Goes to Operation Crayweed

We Are Explorers isn’t taking any of your donation. Neither is Chuffed (who handle the donations), Mezzanine, who designed the beautiful illustrations, or any of the brands helping with the perks.

We’ve all put a heap of time into this because we believe in the mission, and 100% of your donation will go straight to Operation Crayweed.

Read more: Meet the Crew Behind Operation Crayweed

 

 

7. The Value of Crayweed to the Economy is Massive

This one’s for the bean counters. The economic value of crayweed forests is HUGE. Thriving fisheries and nitrogen removal from ocean environments driven by kelp forests (crayweed is a type of kelp) have been shown to be worth up to $684 billion a year worldwide, in the same way that the world’s forests have been valued at $150 trillion! When you factor in the tourism benefits of thriving underwater environments, you’re looking at a pretty tasty bang for your buck.

But can you really put a price on diving into a pristine ocean environment? Sure, can. It’s $100, donate now!

 

8. Support Proven Science With a Clear Goal

The thing I love about Underwater Forest Project is that it’s all backed up by the boffins in the lab. The scientists have done the research and they were so inspired by the results that they literally created an organisation to keep doing it.

One day we’ll be able to say that Sydney’s underwater forests are completely restored, and this is a chance to be a part of that mission.

 

9. Warm Fuzzies

Giving feels good. Buying things also feels good. This is both!

Donate Now!

 

10. It (Can Be) Tax Deductible

Any donation you make can be tax deductible if you don’t select a perk. How much do you need to write off? Let’s chat business.

Seriously though, if you work for a business who might be keen, we’re also taking company donations. @Apple @Google you up?

 

 

11. It’s a great Christmas present idea!

Christmas is so bloody close dude. Have you got anything yet? Impress everyone by donating to a really good cause and slinging them a perk at the same time.*

Maybe you’ll buy eight $25 perks and give everyone the gift of sun protection. Or perhaps you’ll lock in one of the $500 perks (Whale of a Donation) and split up the booty.

Whatever you do, we highly recommend it.

 

12. Planting Day Is Gonna Be Lit

Any donation from $25 and up earns you an invite to our planting day, where we’ll hang out on the beach, snorkel out to help the scuba-lords make the most of their oxygen with crayweed deliveries, and probably have a cookup.

Tell your friends, we’ll see ya there!

 

P.S. If you donate now I’ll give you 10 respect points.

 

*The actual perks won’t arrive before Christmas unfortunately, it’s too close, but if you send us an email we can shoot over everything you need to make a ripper e-card.

 

 

Feature photo by Richard Woodgate