Sargassum-covered Caribbean beach

The ocean's biggest problem could build the Caribbean's next neighborhood.

Sargassum is choking the beaches of Bávaro and Punta Cana. We're turning it into building material — and building homes for families who need them most.

Veteran-founded nonprofit

The problem

8M+

Since 2011, massive sargassum blooms have blanketed Caribbean beaches — devastating the hotel corridor from Bávaro to Punta Cana, destroying fishing livelihoods, and releasing toxic hydrogen sulfide gas. Resorts spend millions removing it. We think there's a better use for it.

Sargassum blanketing a Caribbean coastline

The solution

Harvest it. Process it. Build with it.

01

Harvest

Shore-based collection gear to gather sargassum already deposited on the Bávaro–Punta Cana coastline before it fully decomposes.

02

Process

Drying, salt-leaching, and treatment to transform raw sargassum into a stable, workable building material.

03

Build

Hydraulic compression molds the processed material into load-bearing bricks used to construct real homes.

The mission

Funding the full operation.

Your support covers everything it takes to make this work — from the beach to the build site.

$25K

fundraising goal

Where the money goes

Sargassum Collection

Shore-based gear to gather sargassum from the beach — rakes, loaders, and transport to move material from coastline to processing.

Processing & Brick-Making

Drying, soil processing, and hydraulic brick-press equipment to convert raw sargassum into finished, load-bearing building material.

Day-to-Day Logistics

Fuel, transport, labor coordination, and operational costs to keep the full cycle running from beach collection through home construction.

Every dollar builds something real.

We're a veteran-founded nonprofit working to turn a coastal crisis into homes for families who need them. Join us.

Sea to Shelter Foundation

Turning sargassum from the beaches of Bávaro and Punta Cana into ecological homes for the most vulnerable families in the Dominican Republic.

Where We Work

Sourcing: Bávaro & Punta Cana
Building: Dominican Republic

Veteran-founded nonprofit

Stay in the loop

Follow the pilot as it happens.

Equipment milestones, first harvest updates, and the day we build the first home — straight to your inbox. No noise.

© 2026 Sea to Shelter Foundation. All rights reserved.

Veteran-founded. Every brick is a wave transformed.