Sea-ing Sustainability

It’s no sea-cret that WE’re big fans of all things sustainable. From day one, WE’ve committed to making donations and contributing to scalable farming solutions. In 2020, WE were able to get our first donation out there, with a $5,000 contribution to the Maine Sea Grant to help support research around seaweed aquaculture. 

Why are WE invested in seaweed aquaculture? It’s simple: water is life, and healthy marine ecosystems are essential to our planet’s future. To help protect our oceans, sustainable aquaculture has become a focus of scientists, ecologists, and farmers alike. And the United Nations included aquaculture among its global sustainable development goals within its 2030 agenda. 

One of the fastest-growing and most sustainable sectors in aquaculture is seaweed farming. Seaweed is a super sustainable crop, known for sucking up carbon dioxide, nitrogen, phosphorus, and other nasty stuff in our water. This formidable ability can have a huge impact on our oceans, with The World Bank predicting that seaweed will remove millions of tons of carbon dioxide, nitrogen, and phosphorus by 2050. 

Countries like Norway and the Faroe Islands are already seeing the ecological and economic benefits of seaweed farming.

Not only can seaweed be used as food, but it’s a great sustainable ingredient in cosmetics, textiles, plastic alternatives, medicines, and more. With such varied uses, seaweed is a key ingredient in a healthy future for us all.

WE’re excited to see the work of the Maine Sea Grant program continue to unfold and make an impact on the planet and our collective well-being.