Is Seaweed Our Savior?
It’s good for your health and it’s good for the environment. It’s seaweed! Not only is this powerful plant great for eating and providing for marine life, it is on the rise for becoming the newest “plastic.” And in this case, there’s no pollution!
What is it?
First let’s discuss what seaweed is.
According to Britannica, seaweed is a type of algae that grows among seashores that can sprout from the ocean floor or other hard surfaces. There are different types of algae divided into three groups, brown, red and green. Among the three, the most common form is brown algae, also known as kelp. Most, if not all varieties can survive in both fresh and saltwater. Kelp is also known to be used for human consumption and provides many vitamins and minerals, like vitamin A, B12, calcium, iron, etc. Besides the great benefits for us humans, it also provides food and shelter to many different species. Kelp forests are large pillars of brown algae grouped together in shallow spacious waters. These forests are home to thousands of fish, sea otters, snails, sea urchins, plankton, the list goes on! There is an enormous amount of species who heavily rely on seaweed that are important for its health and conservation.
Climate Change and Seaweed Farming
Certain types of seaweed such as kelp, have an important role when it comes to climate change.
Just like plants on land, seaweed requires an abundance of sunlight for photosynthesis. It also requires an abundance of carbon dioxide. As stated by NOAA the ocean absorbs about 30% of carbon dioxide released from the atmosphere. This evidently affects the oceans pH levels increasing acidity, which can be detrimental to marine life. However, seaweed is a natural filter! It can absorb carbon dioxide and use it for fast growth, thus reducing ocean acidification. This makes seaweed farming appealing. The WWF states how farming seaweed is an efficient way to produce highly nutritious food for a growing population. It requires no feed, fertilizers, pesticides, or arable land. It relies on little to nothing, yet provides numerous advantages towards humans and the environment!
The New Plastic
How much better can this plant get? Well, here is the cherry on top.
Seaweed is now being used as a substitute for plastic! The London based startup company Notpla, is pioneering its way to an innovative style of producing single use plastics. Notpla creates several forms of plastic packaging using brown seaweed. Their most well known product of packaging is called Ooho, an edible bubble for liquids. Think of a ketchup packet but transparent and biodegradable! The Ooho is 100% plastic free and takes around 4-6 weeks to completely break down. The packet can be disposed of regularly or even eaten! Yes, these are edible. The company uses the Ooho at sporting events, or where on the go quick hydration is needed. Other products like their food containers, oil pipettes and paper are all biodegradable and live up to Notpla’s motto of making packaging disappear.
Edited by: Bailey
