A single oyster can filter up to 50 gallons of harbor water a day. The Billion Oyster Project aims to return one billion of them to New York Harbor by 2030, rebuilding a once-barren harbor floor into living reef habitat. It is also the 2026 Greenbuild Legacy Project, and on the weekend before 21 September, BEE took part.
Stephanie Beaumont, BEE’s Director, Americas, joined the project as a member of the Greenbuild 2026 Host Committee, working alongside the committee’s other volunteers.
The Scale of the Work
Since 2014, the project has restored 200 million oysters and 19 acres of reef across five regions of New York Harbor. The restored reefs strengthen the harbor’s coastal resilience, and the project brings volunteers into the work of building them.
What the Volunteers Did
The team’s job on the day was shell recycling. The photographs show what that involves: sorting shells at long tables, running them through a rotating screen, and raking a shell pile taller than the volunteers working it.
“It was a real privilege to contribute towards this incredibly important and impactful project,” Stephanie said. “The volunteer team helped to recycle oyster shells following a fully circular strategy. The shells, when returned to the harbor, will mimic the complexity of natural oyster reefs, creating a fully self-sustaining oyster population. It was absolutely fascinating to learn about the rich history and heritage of oysters in New York City. Before NYC was ‘The Big Apple’ it was commonly known as The Big Oyster. And it was meaningful to contribute towards Greenbuild’s aim to leave a permanent, equitable, and sustainable impact upon its host city.”
Why It Matters to a Building Engineering Firm
BEE’s work usually happens inside buildings: commissioning, LEED and WELL certification, energy modeling, indoor air quality. The Billion Oyster Project works at the scale of the harbor around them, and it reports its results the way BEE reports a building’s: oysters restored, acres of reef rebuilt, gallons of water filtered.
Greenbuild’s Legacy Project is meant to leave something lasting in each host city. For 2026, that is a reef in New York Harbor, and BEE is glad to have helped build part of it.
