Project Opportunity
The Mesoamerican reef, a critical ecological habitat for the social, economic, and environmental benefit of many Belizeans, is also a prominent tourism draw for visitors from around the world. Many islands (or cayes) welcome tourists as they dock before jumping into the crystal clear water to dive, snorkel, or fish. However, when the number of tourists grows without suitable wastewater management on these cayes, threats to this vulnerable ecosystem also grow. By reframing wastewater to consider its potential as a resource for nutrient recovery in FOOD production, WATER reuse, and ENERGY generation, students from engineering, anthropology, and marine science can work together to develop context-appropriate wastewater projects.
Engineering students may employ a systems-based approach to developing a solution for a wastewater system that recovers nutrients to grow food, reduces fuel consumption for transporting food (from mainland to the cayes), and reduces nutrients from entering adjacent surface waters
Marine science students may employ in-situ oceanographic sensors to measure nutrient concentrations for pre/post implementation of the wastewater-based resource recovery system.
Anthropology students may investigate risks, perceptions, and necessary regulatory environments for promoting resource recovery and markets for food grown on recovered resources
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