Re-Seeds

Re-Seeds is committed to reconnecting people and nature. Re-Seeds embeds seeds into paper and wooden products such as ice cream sticks, wooden spoons and coffee cups. Re-Seeds will also infuse caffeine into these products to enhance plant growth. The seeds used will vary based on region and need, but Re-Seeds is focusing on kikuyu grass, due to its high drought tolerance, and excellent wear resistance. We will also use sorghum, phaseolus bean species, maize, cowpea, soybean, and chickpea in agricultural areas to boost local family food production. 

Re-Seeds helps protect the soil and seeds, increasing plant production and coverage. Re-Seeds reconnects people to nature through living memories, and helps create sustainable mindsets amongst people. People can go to their favourite spot in nature, and plant “Re-Seeds”, which biodegrade and produce plants at the same time. Re-Seeds will be a catalyst for a green, global circular economy through creativity and connectivity. 

Soil degradation, drought, deforestation, micro plastic and toxic pollution, we need to protect topsoil; we need to retain water!  We need to nurture our soil. Re-Seeds is committed to stopping the catastrophic domino effect of a world heating up and drying out!! 

Generations now have little connection to daily activities in nature, drought is growing, which will lead to famine globally. Millions of people are disconnected from nature, globally. World hunger is affecting 8.9% of the people which is around 690 million people, while 370 million people are affected by drought.  The main factors that are contributing to these problems are pollution, deforestation, top soil removal, low water retention soil, and temperature rise.  It will take millions of re-connected (to nature) people to stop this domino effect, in each town and village and city all over the earth. 

Re-Seeds will help protect the topsoil and reconnect people with nature. 

Re-Seeds will embed seeds into ice cream sticks, cups, and wooden spoons to produce plants and biodegrade at the same time. Re-Seeds will also infuse caffeine into these products, to enhance plant growth. Re-Seeds can embed different seeds for different purposes, such as kikuyu grass seeds to prevent soil erosion or buckwheat seeds to extract soil’s phosphorus. The types of seeds used will vary depending on the region and need. These seeds have minimal growth requirements and have a fast growth rate. 

Once consumers use Re-Seeds products, they can go to their favorite spot in nature and plant the product in soil. The product will biodegrade and produce plants at the same time. This empowers people to become part of the eco-answer. People, especially children can plant our products in their houses to see a new life sprout through Re-Seeds products.  

In a week’s time we will have product designs. In a month’s time we will have our first prototype. We built a connection with the number one seed company in India, NSL Seeds, who will help with the seed selection process, leading to manufacture.

Re-Seeds will especially impact rural and urban flora and fauna, such as Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, New Delhi, Lucknow, Mumbai and many more. Globally, we can impact Hazaribhag (Bangladesh), Niger River Delta (Nigeria), Bakersfield, CA, Detroit Michigan (USA) and so on.  

Re-Seeds will protect the topsoil and soil by planting new plants and adding biomass to the soil which protects it from erosion. It will also improve the soil quality by providing nutrients. Re-Seeds will prevent or reduce the effects of famine and drought by producing crops and reducing water loss by adding biomass. Re-Seeds also reduces the impact of pollution on the environment, creating a more eco-friendly world. It will reconnect people who have not had the chance to see nature in its true form because the environment  around them is so polluted and damaged. We will show them a new way to look and reconnect with nature through living memories, which empowers people to be a part of a much bigger impact. These people have been underrepresented for many years and it’s time to Re-Seed their world with hope. Children in places like New Delhi do not even get unpolluted air, which is a basic necessity yet so scarce. They live in an environment where soil, air, and water pollution is so common that they have gotten used to it. They rarely see any greenery and barely nothing is being done for it. Re-Seeds can slowly yet steadily have a huge impact on such lives and show them a new world they have sadly not yet seen. Children can plant our products and see a new life bloom in front of their very own eyes. These small acts of contributing to a more sustainable future can go a long way to bring the positive change that the environmental movement is trying to achieve to the most underrepresented people on earth. Re-Seeds will first target places in Hyderabad to start small and escalate to places like New Delhi or Mumbai to create a much bigger impact. 

My target customers are people of any age, but especially children, in urban areas. To attract such customers, we already have a built-in attractivity as we will be selling our sticks to well-known ice cream brands. Other than that, we will also conduct activities and programs to engage children. Over time, we will also expand globally. It is also proven by many resources, such as healthline.com, that interacting with plants helps reduce mental stress and improve mental stability, which we will also be helping. We uniting people (previously isolated) to  be a part of an eco-friendly solution through creativity. This makes families think more sustainably, and will integrate into their daily lives and will be passed along to future generations as well. Re-Seeds will be our contribution to create a new global circular economy. Our branding techniques will include the use of neuroscience, as people will easily remember our brand as a long lasting memory that connects to a family activity. Together, we can Re-Seed the world.

Re-Seeds will begin to solve the problems of famine, drought, soil erosion, and lack of connectivity between nature and humanity. As we Re-Seed at risk environments, we are also creating a neuroscience perception change, making visible the natural world for humanity. Re-Seeds is focusing on well-known coffee and ice cream brands. We will embed seeds into ice cream sticks, coffee cups and wooden spoons, and carefully selecting the type of seed to be used depending on the region and need. We aim to boost local family food production and protect biodiversity through creativity and connectivity. 

Our engineering team is currently working on finalizing the seed research of seeds connecting material compatibility, creating designs for Re-Seeds products. Our graphic design team is developing the website. Our corporate outreach team is in discussion with the number one seed company in India, NSL Seeds, to help us with the seed selection process based on the region and need. We are also in discussion with ice cream companies to make Re-Seeds possible. 

There is no other product like Re-Seeds in the marketplace. The usual approaches to the issues we are addressing are much more difficult to conduct. For instance, soil degradation is usually reduced by crop rotation or strip farming, which requires professionals to execute. However, Re-Seeds can begin to solve issues like soil degradation in a much more simple manner. Re-Seeds will maintain soil health by engaging consumers from all over the world with nature. They need not be professionals and do not require any prior knowledge to use our products to help the environment. Our products can be used by anyone. With such a broad customer base, we can solve these issues at a much faster rate. I expect a broader positive impact from others in this space. If Re-Seeds becomes successful, then other ice cream manufacturers and companies who have environmentally friendly goals or CSR will join the Re-Seeds family or use the same designs and technology we use. With this, we will be expanding and can reach our goals at a faster rate. We will be Re-Seeding the world faster.

Currently, we are working on developing the prototype and so we are not currently serving anybody. In a year we aim to serve around 3-5 small to medium sized ice cream companies. In 5 years, we see Re-Seeds serving around 15 ice cream companies ranging from medium to large sized companies. The number of people we will directly be impacting can be estimated to be at least 2 million people in 5 years. 

I will take surveys of customers who buy these products through our website to find out how many people actually plant our products. I will also check the proportion of area that is under productive and sustainable agriculture, by using the crop productivity formula. I will calculate the number of crops grown based on the number of customers who planted our products. I will also check the health of the soil, using indicators. We will determine the water holding capacity of the soil, and compare it with its previous level. We will also use soil electrical conductivity to measure soil salinity. It indicates the amount of nutrients available. We use an EC pocket meter to calculate the soil electrical conductivity. We can also calculate the pH level of soil by using a pH pocket meter. Overall, the best most common method we will be using is surveys and pictures to measure our progress towards our impact goals.

There are around 20 people working in Re-Seeds for now . I will be adding more people into the Re-Seeds team in the next month. This is a student-run organization, with guidance from senior teachers, professors, mentors and professionals. 

My team has a variety of skills, backgrounds and experiences. For instance, the head of the engineering team is a co-founder of an NGO that aims to provide underprivileged families with the tools and education to develop sustainable water and hygiene solutions. She is also the marketing head for our school’s environmental club. She is also a Harvard YLC scholar. She has dealt with people who are given poor quality water and no water at all. She understands and knows how to deal with these issues fluently. My team also has creative skills which they link to technology to attract more customers and reconnect more people with nature. We have dealt with people who are exposed to high levels of pollution, water scarcity and are constantly hearing about farmer suicides due to bad crop growth. This is mainly due to bad soil health. We have students, such as myself, who took environmental sciences as a subject and school. Our knowledge along with professional guidance is helping us with the science part of Re-Seeds. I am also interning at an environmentally sustainable packaging company which has taught me a lot about sustainable businesses and their functions. I am helping with the marketing and materials research of that company. The material research is useful to Re-Seeds as well, as we are always looking for new, sustainable materials we can implement to reduce pollution. Overall, Re-Seeds team is diverse with one goal in mind -  help save the planet. 

Anyone can join the Re-Seeds team without any prerequisites. There are no applications to join and everybody is always welcome to be a part of the family. Re-Seeds team is diverse in terms of skills, backgrounds and experiences. Some students are founders of other organisations, while others are very new to the business world. Some students are good with technology while some are good with engineering. Our team is from different schools, grades, and who have also taken different subjects at school as well. There is also no gender discrimination. We are networking with professionals from all over the world who come from different cultural backgrounds, experiences etc . We plan to expand to different countries over time. In terms of equity, Re-Seeds gives equal opportunities to everyone to thrive in their respective fields. Work is equally divided between all members. We strongly believe in inclusivity. Re-Seeds has given the flexibility for students to move between the three teams we currently have, engineering, graphic designing and corporate outreach team, at any point of time, so they are comfortable with their work at all times. We always ask for each member’s valuable opinions on certain topics. Students have flexibility and workload is adjusted according to their weekly schedules. Each and every member is treated well. One of our goals is to expand to other countries to broaden our network and services and engage with different types of people. 

I am applying to Solve to get some insight into my solution. I would love to get feedback and ideas for further improvement of my solution from professionals and students at MIT. Networking is important in the business world, which is the world I have just stepped into. I would love to meet like-minded individuals of different ages and gain different perspectives on environmental issues and solutions. Joining the MIT network would teach me a lot and give me insight into the world I have chosen to step into. Since I’ve just started Re-Seeds,  being a part of MIT Solve will help me on many different levels. For starters, I will get mentorship from impact-minded leaders. I will also be exposed to media and conferences will further help me expand Re-Seeds. I am sure my client base will also increase with the help of MIT Solve.  I will have access to a wide variety of resources, which will benefit me and help me expand Re-Seeds globally. 

Although I have taken business class at school, I am new to the business world and so I would require guidance and mentorship in many areas. I have theoretical knowledge but am slowly learning that it is very different from the practical world. I would not need much help with the business model because I have learnt about it in my business class before. I have been a part of business competitions and I was barely involved in the financial side. I never took the role of heading finance and someone else from the team would always head finance. I have minimum knowledge about legal or regulatory matters which is vital in the business world. One mistake can impact the business drastically. I am interested in the legal side of business and would require mentorship in this area. I have a good amount of experience with public relations as I love meeting new people and am a part of other global initiatives and am interning at a company. However, I have not interacted with many people globally and would need help in developing public relations with people from a wide variety of backgrounds. This would also help me expand my client base, which is something businesses always require. I would definitely require mentorship in this field of product distribution as it is completely new to me. 

I do not have any specific organizations in mind, however I would like to partner with organizations that have the same goal as Re-Seeds but a different approach compared to Re-Seeds. I would also like to partner with organizations that have a similar approach. I would like to partner with other Solve Members. Solve members come from around the world, and partnering with them will give me insights into different cultures and the way business works in different countries. It will help me take Re-Seeds to a global level and increase my client base and benefit many more people. Partnering with the MIT faculty would be an honor as they are individuals with immense knowledge. Their experiences and feedback would be extremely beneficial to Re-Seeds. They will teach me new perspectives and knowledge that would not just end with Re-Seeds, but help me in life. Two initiatives I found particularly interesting at MIT were the Initiative on Digital Economies and MIT Sloan Sustainability Initiative. Digital economies are very important in today’s world and are constantly changing. I think this initiative would help me keep up to date with the digital economies and help me better understand how digital economies work compared to the traditional ones we learn in books. The Sustainability Initiative would bring in new perspectives and approaches for Re-Seeds to function, as they both have the same goal. 

We will use this prize to create sustainable communities in the world by producing more popsicle sticks with seeds and caffeine infused. We will use this prize to expand to other products such as seed and caffeine infused cups and wooden spoons. With more ideas flowing in constantly, we will be able to expand to other products. We will also use it to finance for better manufacturers who use advanced technologies to improve our production strategies. 

Re-Seeds is reconnecting people with nature through creativity and connectivity. By planting our products, consumers will be contributing to solve the problems of soil erosion, drought, famine and also pollution. Our products biodegrade while producing plants at the same time, which absorbs carbon and is involved in the decarbonisation of the world. We are trying to integrate small steps in the daily lives of people which will lead to a much bigger impact and ultimately save the planet.