Billion Oyster Project works with restaurants like P.J. Clarke’s and Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s abc kitchen to restore New York Harbor
NEED TO KNOW
- Billion Oyster Project aims to restore New York Harbor with 1 billion oysters by 2030 using recycled shells
- Over 80 restaurants, including P.J. Clarke’s and Sagaponack, donate 300,000 pounds of oyster shells annually
- The nonprofit has restored 183 million oysters and 19 acres of reef habitat since its launch in 2014
New York City restaurants are helping rebuild the city’s harbor by sending their used oyster shells back out to sea.
Nonprofit Billion Oyster Project is working to restore New York Harbor with 1 billion oysters by 2030 alongside over 80 partner restaurants that serve the shellfish, including popular spots like P.J. Clarke’s and Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s ABC Kitchen.
A spokesperson for Billion Oyster Project tells PEOPLE that oysters typically attach to the shells of oysters that came before them and need something hard to attach to at birth. New York Harbor lost its natural oyster reefs over 100 years ago — which is where shells from local restaurants come in…