Growing up on a farm in Minnesota I loved watching the fireflies. They were the most magical creatures of the world. As each year went by there were less and less lights in the sky. No one noticed the lights turning off because the extinction has been gradual, happening over the last several decades due to pesticides, light pollution, and chemical companies using their glowing fluid. I'm a product developer and have developed over a hundred products that went to market. I also have 15 years background in sculptural retail displays. I'm applying the skills I've learned from my past work to bring back the most magical creature on Earth before they go extinct. I have studied fireflies for five years and designed the ideal ecosystem to procreate them. From my experience as a display artist I developed the skill to upcycle by creating large scale sculptures that were both functional and beautiful. I've used this skill to build a multistage greenhouse specifically designed to procreate fireflies. I'm using my product development methods to create an effective strategy to bring awareness to the extinction of the most magical of insects and create viable solutions. I will also create seed bombs and branch out plant life throughout the US that support the firefly. The following year groups of female fireflies will be set free within the seeded area.
Last year I collected 500 female fireflies from around Pennsylvania and placed them within the green house pictured above. Each female has the potential to lay 1,200 eggs within the first part of the green house. With the other half of the greenhouse pictured below finished this summer, I can exponentially grow the firefly population throughout the US.
