Project Navanthus addresses some of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that were adopted by the United Nations as an urgent call for action by the global community to tackle long term issues that are associated with environmental stability and economic prosperity. As members of team iGEM Thessaly we believe that it is our responsibility to use our innovative capacities of our project to reach some of these SDGs adopted while also exemplifying the competitions values.

Sustainable development is a standard production model which aims at economic evolution , environmental protection and social inclusion. Specifically, the role of sustainability is to modify production processes in such a way that they achieve increased production with reduced raw material expenditure. Particularly in recent years, we have observed that the correlation between the rate of renewal and exploitation of natural resources is inversely proportional to rates that can be fatal. In other words, we are consuming our natural resources at a faster rate than they are being renewed. In theory, the long-term result of environmental degradation is the inability of the Earth's ecosystem to support human life.

This is why we wanted to focus on sustainability. Sustainability is at the core of Navanthus. Navanthus consists of two independent but interconnected systems for monitoring and restoring eutrophic waters. The technologies contained in both the RC Boat and advanced CFW's can play a catalytic role in re-balancing the aquatic ecosystem and increasing biodiversity.

Specifically, project Navanthus addresses the following Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs):

Figure 1. Sustainable Development Goal 6 Logo.

Target 6.3 [Improve water quality by reducing pollution, eliminating dumping and minimizing release of hazardous chemicals and materials, halving the proportion of untreated wastewater and substantially increasing recycling and safe reuse globally]
Target 6.6 [Protect and restore water-related ecosystems, including mountains, forests, wetlands, rivers, aquifers and lakes]

Nowadays water bodies both in Greece and abroad, are under qualitative and quantitative degradation due to the pollution pressures usually associated with the increased use of fertilizers, pesticides and sewage disposal coming from agriculture, industries and the cities. This pollution can cause an unpleasant odor and a blue-green hue in the water body, affecting local citizens, tourists and generally people who live near a polluted water body. When trying to resolve this issue, through our Integrated Human Practices, we realized that this situation has been disregarded by the local authorities and an effective and sustainable solution has yet to be introduced. After researching scientific literature, our team found out that several reports indicate that the "poor ecological condition" of water bodies are due to intense anthropogenic eutrophication. Through project Navanthus, our team aims to address SDG 6 by reducing pollution and ensuring safe reuse of the water by restoring its balance through bioremediation and absorption of phosphorus. When implementing our project,we hope to come a step closer in protecting and restoring water bodies all around the globe and thus addressing targets 6.3 and 6.6 of SDG 6.

Figure 2. Sustainable Development Goal 12 Logo.

Τarget 12.4 [Achieve the environmentally sound management of chemicals and all wastes throughout their life cycle, in accordance with agreed international frameworks, and significantly reduce their release to air, water and soil in order to minimize their adverse impacts on human health and the environment]
Target 12.5 [Substantially reduce waste generation through prevention, reduction, recycling and reuse]
Target 12.8 [Ensure that people everywhere have the relevant information and awareness for sustainable development and lifestyles in harmony with nature]

Navanthus is a holistic solution to both monitoring and restoration of eutrophication-affected waters, following the axes of sustainability and the circular economy model. Our two systems operate in a completely closed system in terms of their resources, which is a significant advantage for their applications. Every part of the Navanthus, in addition to the electronics and mechanical components for its movement, is made of emerging biomaterials such as mycelium and PLA with little or no environmental footprint. Thus, we completely exclude the use of plastic and non-recyclable materials that would cause secondary water pollution by their degradation or oxidation. In this way, project Navanthus addresses target 12.4 of SDG 12.
Furthermore, we would like to develop our project and manage to close the life cycle of the biodegradable parts of our constructions after their implementation. Therefore, our goal is the full development of an industrial design for their further exploitation. Starting the decomposition of these parts (platform+plants+supporting structure+mesh+RC Boat frame), the next step will be their transportation to specific points of reference for recycling and biomass production which can be used for a plethora of applications such as the energy coverage of small factories units or production of organic fertilizers or even production of biofuels. In this way, our already environmentally friendly materials are reused to meet needs, thus limiting the reckless exploitation of natural resources and contributing to the achievement of target 12.5.
Finally, through our Science Communication and Education activities we raised awareness about sustainability and the importance of protecting the environment. For example, we created a booklet for farmers that analyzed the phenomenon of eutrophication and suggested more sustainable methods to integrate in agricultural practices, helping to achieve target 12.8 of SDG 12.

Figure 3. Sustainable Development Goal 13 Logo.

Target 13.1 [Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters in all countries]

Our team aims to combat, apart from the widespread phenomenon of eutrophication and the negative effects of climate change. As mentioned before, the impact of our project is expanding globally, as local water quality protection has global economic implications. The negative financial effects of the phenomenon are indicated by the damages which are caused in the climate. Project Navanthus aims to address SDG 13 and specifically targets 13.1. In order to reach target 13.1, our team aims to eliminate eutrophication in a local water body and the amount of CH4 greenhouse gas released into the atmosphere will be decreased. Eutrophication is known to produce greenhouse gasses and more specifically CH4 emissions since the microalgae produced by the phenomenon is a byproduct of their metabolism. As a result, protecting local waters could contribute to climate change mitigation and provide trillions of dollars in benefits since CH4 emissions from eutrophic lakes and reservoirs cost from $7.5 to $81 trillion.

Figure 4. Sustainable Development Goal 15 Logo.

Target 15.1 [Ensure the conservation, restoration and sustainable use of terrestrial and inland freshwater ecosystems and their services, in particular forests, wetlands, mountains and drylands, in line with obligations under international agreements]
Target 15.5 [Take urgent and significant action to reduce the degradation of natural habitats, halt the loss of biodiversity and protect and prevent the extinction of threatened species]

The phenomenon of eutrophication is known to have detrimental effects in both human, animal, and environmental health. More notably, the biodiversity of the eutrophicated water bodies can be severely altered, with many fish and bird species coming close to extinction. Our goal as a team was to halt this biodiversity loss and restore the balance in eutrophicated waters. In order to achieve that our team created project Navanthus: a holistic and sustainable approach for bioremediation of freshwaters. One of the main parts of our project is the Constructed Floating Wetland (CFW). The CFW is considered to be a terrestrial freshwater ecosystem since it carries the genetically engineered plants which absorb Phosphorus. Our primary mission is to ensure the preservation of aquatic life and habitats. Plant roots reduce phosphorus levels leading to the elimination of cyanobacteria and re-establishment of the water's natural microbial population. Clean water and balanced microbial communities are essential for aquatic species to survive and reproduce. This is how we preserve and enhance the biodiversity that has been reduced by the phenomenon of eutrophication. Through this process our team aims to use project Navanthus as a way to address targets 15.1 and 15.5 of SDG 15.

Figure 5. Sustainable Development Goal 17 Logo.

Target 17.6 [Enhance the global partnership for sustainable development, complemented by multi-stakeholder partnerships that mobilize and share knowledge, expertise, technology, and financial resources, to support the achievement of the sustainable development goals in all countries, in particular developing countries]

We, as a team Thessaly, understand that working together with others is the best way to make progress. A variety of opinions and ideas coming from different backgrounds and having different kinds of expertise can help create more universal solutions. This is not only the basis of teamwork but of international partnership as well. More specifically, trying to make Navanthus a holistic approach against eutrophication our team thoroughly followed target 17.16. In order to reach this goal, our team consulted a variety of experts and stakeholders that gave us important information in order to build and implement our idea. Furthermore, we collaborated with several foreign iGEM Teams (Manchester, Bath, HKU) to gain insight on local society and its knowledge on Synthetic Biology. Lastly, through this collaboration we managed to inform both our teams and the public regarding legislation around GMOs.