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The ideal crop -

It’s cheap, you don’t have to feed it, water it, fertilize it, or slaughter it, and it won’t swim away.

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The ideal crop -

Farming seaweed, a restorative species, is a more sustainable approach than wild harvesting it because you're not destroying other ecosystems.

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A restorative filter -

The sea veggie also acts as a kind of filter, cleaning the water by capturing more carbon than all other marine plants combined. It can also sequester other pollutants from wastewater, industrial runoff, or fish farms.

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Helping other wildlife -

Seaweed farms can also act as an artificial reef for local underwater life and provide storm protection.

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From niche to normal -

Seaweed used to be associated with higher end foods, but now it’s coming after kale’s coveted place as the new green in everyone's kitchen.

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Fish replacement -

Some species of seaweed are proving to be an effective protein alternative, and they also have the important omega-3 fats so prized in fish.

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Flavor boost -

The low-calorie vegetable comes packed with an umami flavor due to its high glutamate content, making it a great addition to any meal.

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Nutrients and antioxidants -

Many seaweed species are packed with iodine, calcium, iron, magnesium, and manganese. They're also rich in antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compounds.

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Health benefits - The vitamins, amino acids, and minerals all combine to reduce inflammation, reduce joint pain, lift your energy, maintain strong bones and teeth, and even reduce your risk of cancer, according to the Institute of Integrative Nutrition.

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Kelp jerky -

AKUA, a line of kelp jerky, offers a convenient and tasty way to enjoy the healthy ingredient.

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Seaweed salad -

Wakame and arame are best for salads. Combine them with vinegar, sesame oil, garlic, and scallions, and customize with other veggies like cucumbers, carrots, or radishes.

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Add kombu seaweed to soups -

Kombu is often used in broths and sauces in Japanese cuisine to add a great depth of flavor.

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Dried seaweed snack -

Snacking on nori is delicious, low in calories, and nutritious! It’ll satisfy that salty craving and it’s easy to bring with you anywhere you go.

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Bacon-tasting seaweed -

In 2015, researchers from the Hatfield Marine Science Center reportedly created a gustatory miracle from a strain of red marine algae called dulse, which is packed with minerals and protein, has twice the nutritional value of kale, and tastes of bacon!

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Feeding farm animals - If you’re really not keen on eating it yourself, seaweed is still something to get excited about as researchers in California are finding that it appears to set off a fermentation process in cows' stomachs that reduces the amount of methane (a harmful greenhouse gas) they release during digestion.

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Cows are gassy - In case you didn’t know, cows are one of the world’s biggest sources of greenhouse gas emissions. The cows of California alone emit as much carbon dioxide annually as 2.5 million cars, according to a Yale report. Seaweed might be able to reduce that by up to 30-50%.

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Seaweed is good for the outside of your body, too -

Seaweed wraps have long been a spa staple, as seaweed is full of humectants that draw in moisture and vitamin E from the environment, making it great hydration for the skin.

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Anti-aging products -

The amino acids in seaweed help give you youthful-looking skin, smoothing out fine lines with its anti-aging properties.

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Acne treatment -

It's also safe for all skin types, which makes it ideal for those with acne, especially since it possesses antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties.

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Fighting free radicals -

Face oils made with seaweed-derived antioxidants help to soothe, calm, protect, and neutralize free radical damage (unstable atoms that can damage cells, causing illness and aging).

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Fashion - You can accessorize seaweed like this interesting necklace, or you can make shirts from an algae-cellulose blend like lifestyle brand Everyday California. Another clothing company, PANGAIA, also experiments with biomaterials and makes a shirt that is 80% cotton, 20% seaweed.

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But how? -

Once the seaweed is harvested, it's dried, crushed into a fine powder, and processed into a completely biodegradable fiber. It’s reportedly lightweight and soft to the touch!

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Plastic alternative -

At the 2019 London Marathon, instead of plastic water bottles, runners were given edible pods made of seaweed extracts, called Ooho. It reduced the number of plastic bottle waste by hundreds of thousands.

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Plastic alternative - The pouches are made from something called Notpla, a revolutionary material made from seaweed and plants that biodegrades in weeks, naturally.

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Sachet alternative -

In 2018, 25-year-old Indonesian inventor David Christian also created seaweed-based biodegradable bags to replace tea, coffee, and even soup sachets.

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Fast food wrap alternative -

Indonesia is one of the biggest plastic polluters in the world, but Christian’s company, Evoware, is aiming to change that—with seaweed.

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Evoware -

They created a thin, heat-sealable film that is largely odorless and tasteless, and dissolves in warm water. It has a two-year shelf life, even without preservatives. Evoware films biodegrade in soil within 30 days and also make a great fertilizer when discarded.

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Job creation and community development - The World Bank has identified seaweed farming as a promising source of income generation, especially in developing countries.

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Women and First Nations taking the lead -

GreenWave, a seaweed farming company, has noted that women are largely leading the restorative ocean farming industry, along with Indigenous people who are farming to restore local waters and who have been eating seaweed (in Alaska particularly) for ages.

See also: Environmentally destructive foods we all consume.

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