The Emerald Tutu
The Emerald Tutu is a grant-funded non-profit that designs and deploys biomass-based floating wetlands and living shorelines to protect coastal communities in Massachusetts and Connecticut from storm damage and sea level rise.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1878
- HeadquartersCambridge, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What The Emerald Tutu does
The Emerald Tutu is a grant-funded non-profit research organization headquartered in East Boston, Massachusetts, that designs, prototypes, deploys, and tests Nature-Based Infrastructure (NBI) for coastal resilience. Its core offerings are Floating Wetlands, modular interconnected units made from biomass (Spartina alterniflora, Spartina patens, Phragmites australis reeds, coconut fiber netting) and marine-grade foam for buoyancy, anchored in nearshore coastal areas to attenuate wave energy, and Living Shorelines, intertidal organic growing beds that allow marsh plants to root into shoreline areas. The organization's stated intent is to develop simple, scalable methods for restoring coastlines with living infrastructure that provides storm protection, marine habitat, water quality benefits, and carbon sequestration, while generating local economic benefit through a Do-It-Together community-based installation methodology.
The Emerald Tutu does not sell products or services commercially. Revenue is generated entirely through grants and awards, including NSF SBIR Phase I (2021-2022, $275,999), NSF SBIR Phase II (2023-2025, $997,503), an NSF CIVIC Innovation grant (2024), MassBays National Estuary Partnership BIL funding (2025), the 2018 MIT Climate Changed Competition first prize, and a 2019 ASCE Innovation Award. The team is led by Project Lead Gabriel Cira and includes a small core staff supplemented by seasonal interns, with affiliated researchers from MIT-WHOI, Northeastern University, and Scripps Institution of Oceanography providing scientific support. Distribution occurs through municipal research partnerships (City of Boston, Town of Lynn, City of Quincy, Town of Stonington), academic collaborations (MIT, Northeastern, WHOI), and community-based deployment.
Operating geographies span coastal Massachusetts and Connecticut in the U.S. Northeast, with permitted research sites at Piers Park and 102 Border Street in East Boston. The organization is pursuing a planned Blue-Green Nursery for Nature-Based Infrastructure on the 8.34-acre Hess Site on Chelsea Creek to mass-produce native coastal plants, which would mark a significant operational expansion beyond its current prototype-deployment focus.
The Emerald Tutu firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Emerald Tutu
- Legal name
- The Emerald Tutu
- Website
- https://emerald-tutu.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1878
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- The Emerald Tutu is a grant-funded non-profit that designs and deploys biomass-based floating wetlands and living shorelines to protect coastal communities in Massachusetts and Connecticut from storm damage and sea level rise.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Emerald Tutu industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Nature-Based Coastal Resilience Infrastructure
- akta.pro primary industry
- Subsea & Nearshore Civil Works (Trenching, Rock Placement, Mattressing) (IMAFAJAI)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Oceans, Coastal & Marine Resource Management (BPADALAI), Revetments, Groynes & Beach Nourishment (IMAFAJAD)
Keywords
Where The Emerald Tutu is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Cambridge
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
The Emerald Tutu business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Grant Funding: Grant-funded research organization. Funding sources include NSF SBIR Phase I (2021-2022), NSF SBIR Phase II (2023-2025), NSF CIVIC Innovation grant (2024), MassBays National Estuary Partnership BIL funding (2025), MIT Climate Changed Competition prize (2018), ASCE Innovation award (2019).
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
The Emerald Tutu product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Emerald Tutu designs, prototypes, deploys, and tests Nature-Based Infrastructure (NBI) for coastal resilience in Massachusetts and beyond. Its core deliverables are Floating Wetlands (interconnected biomass and living-plant modules anchored nearshore to attenuate wave energy) and Living Shorelines (intertidal organic growing beds), built from Spartina alterniflora, Phragmites australis, coconut fiber netting, and marine-grade foam. The organization also runs skills training for NBI installation and maintenance so that coastal communities can capture economic benefits from resilience investments.
Product overview
The Emerald Tutu offers a suite of nature-based coastal resilience infrastructure products and services. The core offerings are Floating Wetlands (modular, interconnected organic growing units anchored in nearshore areas) and Living Shorelines (intertidal growing beds for shoreline plant establishment). These products utilize Spartina alterniflora, Phragmites australis, coconut fiber netting, and marine-grade foam in a Do-It-Together community-based approach. The company also operates the Blue-Green Nursery project concept for mass-producing native coastal plants, and provides a Green Job training program for community capacity-building in coastal resilience.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Floating Wetlands Modular floating infrastructure made from biomass (coconut fiber netting, Spartina alterniflora, Phragmites australis reeds) and marine-grade foam buoyancy, designed to form interconnected networks anchored in nearshore coastal areas to attenuate wave energy, provide marine habitat, and improve water quality. Roots grow through the substrate materials, binding them together as the original plant fibers break down.
- Living Shorelines Intertidal organic growing beds composed of natural materials (Spartina alterniflora and Spartina patens marsh grasses, coconut fiber netting, and marine-grade foam) that nurture young marsh plants and allow them to root into shoreline areas, providing coastal protection while creating ecosystem habitat through wave attenuation and habitat creation.
- Green Job Training Program Skills training program for nature-based infrastructure installation and maintenance, designed to enable coastal communities to benefit economically from resilience investments through hands-on, community-based methodologies learnable without formal scientific or engineering education.
Quantifiable outcome
- Wave energy reduction through soft, spongy vegetation between wave energy and human structures
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use The Emerald Tutu
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
The Emerald Tutu technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
The Emerald Tutu partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- CoirGreen Coco SolutionsminorSupplier of coconut fiber (coir) netting sourced from Sri Lanka. Nets retain ability to encapsulate inner substrate materials in saltwater for up to two years without major failure.
- Pinelands NurseryminorSupplier of pre-grown Spartina alterniflora plugs from New Jersey for use in living shoreline installations.
- CURES Lab for Coastal Engineering (Northeastern University)coreCoastal Urban Resilience and Environmental Solutions lab led by Dr. Julia Hopkins, founding member of the team. Focuses on field observations, numerical models, and lab experiments investigating wave and tidal current impacts on shorelines.
- Randall Hughes Lab for Marine BiodiversitycoreResearch collaboration focused on marine biodiversity and ecosystem studies.
- Eastie FarmminorLocal East Boston community partner for environmental initiatives.
- Army Corps of Engineers, Engineering With NaturecoreFederal partnership for nature-based infrastructure research and best practices development.
- EBCDC Inc.minorEast Boston community development corporation partner.
- BHEN (Boston Harbor Ecosystem Network)minorRelated group in Boston Harbor ecosystem restoration and protection network.
- Mass ECAN Nature Based Solutions Working GroupminorState working group focused on nature-based solutions for coastal resilience.
- UMass Salt Marsh Working GroupminorUniversity research collaboration on salt marsh science and restoration.
- Sustainable Solutions LabminorUMass Boston research lab focused on sustainable solutions for coastal and urban resilience.
- Stone Living LabminorCollaborative research organization for nature-based coastal solutions.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
The Emerald Tutu competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Floating Island International: Designs and manufactures floating wetland and biohaven island systems for water quality and habitat, sharing Emerald Tutu's biomass-based floating wetland concept but with a more commercial product focus.
- SCAPE Landscape Architecture: Designs living shorelines and nature-based coastal infrastructure projects along the U.S. East Coast, with a comparable focus on hybrid green-gray solutions and bio-enhanced shoreline design for urban coastal resilience.
Broad incumbents
- Moffatt & Nichol: Large global coastal and waterfront engineering firm with a nature-based infrastructure practice. Overlaps with Emerald Tutu on coastal resilience consulting but operates at vastly greater scale with full engineering and construction services.
- Tetra Tech: Global engineering and environmental consulting firm with a leading nature-based coastal restoration and climate adaptation practice, competing for federal and municipal coastal resilience contracts.
- Arcadis: Global design and engineering firm with a Nature-Based Solutions practice spanning coastal resilience, habitat restoration, and green infrastructure, serving many of the same municipal and federal clients as Emerald Tutu.
- AECOM: One of the largest global infrastructure firms with a coastal resilience and nature-based solutions team that competes for many of the same federal and municipal resilience contracts.
- WSP: Global engineering consultancy with an established climate resilience and coastal adaptation practice, including nature-based shoreline design for U.S. municipalities.
- Stantec: Engineering and environmental services firm with a coastal and climate resilience practice that includes living shoreline and nature-based coastal protection work, often as prime consultant to municipalities.
Emerging players
- Billion Oyster Project: New York Harbor restoration nonprofit that combines community workforce development with nature-based marine infrastructure, sharing Emerald Tutu's nonprofit model and mission to scale nature-based solutions through community engagement.
Others
- The Nature Conservancy (Coastal Resilience program): Major environmental nonprofit that funds and develops nature-based coastal resilience projects, often partnering with or funding smaller groups like Emerald Tutu. Comparable in mission (coastal restoration using living infrastructure) but operates as a funder and program implementer at national scale.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
The Emerald Tutu social profiles
Digital presenceThe Emerald Tutu financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Emerald Tutu leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles8 records
The Emerald Tutu funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds2 records
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Emerald Tutu M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about The Emerald Tutu
What does The Emerald Tutu do?
The Emerald Tutu designs, prototypes, deploys, and tests Nature-Based Infrastructure (NBI) for coastal resilience in Massachusetts and beyond. Its core deliverables are Floating Wetlands (interconnected biomass and living-plant modules anchored nearshore to attenuate wave energy) and Living Shorelines (intertidal organic growing beds), built from Spartina alterniflora, Phragmites australis, coconut fiber netting, and marine-grade foam. The organization also runs skills training for NBI installation and maintenance so that coastal communities can capture economic benefits from resilience investments.
Is The Emerald Tutu a public or private company?
The Emerald Tutu is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was The Emerald Tutu founded?
The Emerald Tutu was founded in 1878. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is The Emerald Tutu based?
The Emerald Tutu is headquartered in Cambridge, United States, in the North America region.
How does The Emerald Tutu make money?
One revenue line is on record: grant Funding.
Who are The Emerald Tutu's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Floating Island International and SCAPE Landscape Architecture. Broad incumbents are Moffatt & Nichol, Tetra Tech, Arcadis, AECOM, WSP and Stantec. Billion Oyster Project is listed as an emerging player. The Nature Conservancy (Coastal Resilience program) is listed as an others.
Does The Emerald Tutu have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Emerald Tutu.
What industry is The Emerald Tutu in?
The Emerald Tutu's product category is Nature-Based Coastal Resilience Infrastructure. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMAFAJAI, Subsea & Nearshore Civil Works (Trenching, Rock Placement, Mattressing), with a secondary code of BPADALAI, Oceans, Coastal & Marine Resource Management.