Photo by Bill Curtsinger

Green Wave updates October 31, 2022

November 3, 2022

Categories:

Education | FYI | JOBS |

If your fishing venture is seeking an alternative, GreenWave kelp farming seems lke an interesting option. Below is from their latest newsletter. Learn more at Greenwave.org

Seaweed-Based Packaging for
People and the Planet
One of seaweed’s superpowers is that it has many uses–it’s the soy of the sea without all the downsides. Seaweed can be used in an array of products ranging from food and animal feed to soil amendments to bioplastics. The use of non-food grade seaweed expands market opportunities for ocean farmers and provides raw materials for entrepreneurs to develop alternatives to fossil fuel-based plastics like straws and packaging. With nearly 8 million metric tons of plastic thrown into the ocean each year, turning regeneratively ocean-farmed seaweed into plastic alternatives benefits both people and the planet.

Co-Founder and CEO Julia Marsh launched the biomaterials company Sway in 2020 to address the global plastics problem at scale through regenerative design. Julia is a designer with more than a decade of experience building brand and packaging systems for consumer goods companies. She set out on a mission to identify a biobased alternative that could be both beautiful and practical. Sway’s goal is to offset the social and ecological harm of petroleum-based plastics by developing seaweed-based replacements that support healthy ocean ecosystems and thriving coastal communities. Read More »

New Zealand’s First Large-Scale
Seaweed Outplanting
The wheels are in motion for a thriving seaweed sector in New Zealand following the country’s first large-scale outplanting of hatchery-grown seaweed. In collaboration with Ngāti Pūkenga, Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki, and other partners, New Zealand-based natural resource sector project developer EnviroStrat launched a pilot focused on creating an economically viable seed-to-harvest model. Earlier this month, the partners outplanted 228 meters of native Ecklonia radiata seed string in the Hauraki Gulf as part of a regenerative ocean farming pilot.

EnviroStrat CEO, Dr. Nigel Bradly, says the outplanting is a significant milestone for the country’s emerging seaweed sector. “While there are numerous new initiatives and businesses targeting seaweed as a novel primary resource for the blue economy, the New Zealand sector is currently operating at a small scale and hasn’t kept pace with international developments. The outplanting is the first step in establishing seaweed farming at scale in New Zealand and will provide essential information to underpin the commercial realities of seaweed production.”

GreenWave Co-Executive Director Bren Smith was honored to visit New Zealand and attend the momentous outplanting event. Read More »

 Urban Ocean Lab Releases
Ocean Justice Platform
Urban Ocean Lab–the ocean policy think tank co-founded by GreenWave board member Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson–released the Ocean Justice Platform on September 20. This forward-looking policy platform lays out the elements of ocean justice and sets clear principles to guide policymakers’ approach to just and equitable ocean policy. The platform prioritizes the role of frontline ocean communities in the development and implementation of climate policy. Learn More »

GreenWave Kicks Off Farmer Forum
Last month GreenWave kicked off a series of monthly events for active farmers. These opportunities include in-person meetups and on-farm demos from expert farmers on seasonally relevant topics ranging from gear selection to post-harvest handling. We look forward to developing a robust menu of virtual and in-person opportunities for regenerative ocean farmers to gather and strengthen relationships that propel the industry forward.

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