Pull to Refresh Kelp Sequestration

At Pull To Refresh, we gather, cultivate, and sink macroalgae in the open ocean, assisted by advanced robotic technologies. Using solar-powered, self-driving vessels, we sink macroalgae, which can store up to 20 times more carbon per acre than land forests for over 1,000 years.

Our story began a billion years ago, when macroalgae emerged as a hearty, carbon sequestering scavenger of the sea. It went on to be so successful that it is now a common ancestor of all land-based plants. In early 2021, our founding team of engineers, scientists, entrepreneurs, and artists met on the Clubhouse App, initially catalyzed by the prospect of competing in the XPRIZE Carbon Removal. After extensive research and conversations with experts from around the world, we found that an outstanding solution for removing atmospheric carbon already exists, and has since The Miocene Epoch: macroalgae. From there, Pull To Refresh was established, and our swiftly growing team is building technology to efficiently scale up oceanic carbon sequestration.

We leverage satellites, spatial & temporal sensors, high-resolution photography, and other advanced technologies to measure biomass volume. The macroalgae is sunk to the nearby deep ocean floor, where its embodied carbon is effectively removed from the atmosphere for centuries.

In less than one year, we built and deployed two prototypes and expanded our team to over 25 talented individuals around the world, including leading kelp experts, engineers, developers, and media creators.

We are honored to have been nominated by Volans for the 2022 Earthshot Prize and were featured in MIT Tech Review. Our team has qualified to compete in the XPRIZE Carbon Removal supported by the Musk Foundation.

We are currently working with several organizations to develop a methodology and robust tracking system to conduct ongoing environmental impact assessments and ensure that the carbon removal is verified.