Super Seaweed Saves the Day - with a little help from YOU

You might have vivid memories of kelp washing up against you as you play in the ocean, surprising you with its cold smooth skin. But did you know that it floated your way from one of the largest underwater forests on Earth? Or that kelp provides an entire ecosystem of animals with essential food and shelter? That it’s crucial in keeping the climate above liveable for us humans? And that this true superhero of the sea has the ability to regenerate and grow up to two feet a day?

SuperKelp Combats Climate Change: Kelp's life journey takes it from the coast into the deep ocean at the end of its life. It’s there that kelp activates one of its most potent superpowers: combating climate change.

As it grows, these super seaweed forests draw carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere - just like mangrove forests, salt marshes and seagrass meadows. It then carries some of that carbon dioxide with it as it breaks off, floats away, and eventually sinks to the ocean floor. New research suggests that kelp’s climate change superpowers might be seriously overlooked:

 "...the magnitude of carbon sequestered by algal forests is comparable to that of all those three habitats together [mangrove, marsh, seagrass],” says Carlos Duarte, a professor of marine science at the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology in Saudi Arabia. 

An Ecosystem Superhero: Giant kelp forests are both shelter and sustenance for over 700 species. From the seafloor to the leafy canopy at the water’s surface, each level of the tall [up to 130 feet] strands provides a different environment for sea life to live and thrive.

Do you really need all those ECOBOARDS taking up floor space in the corner of your bedroom?  Be like The GOAT (aka Kelly Slater) - #makeroomforawesome by storing your ocean gear in one of StorQuest’s SoCal locations and we’ll restore a sq ft of kelp off the coast of Palos Verdes with our partners the Bay Foundation.

Make every step you take an #OceanPositive one with these vegan, recycled, kelp planting shoes from SeaVees
 
Bathing in an ocean kelp forest sound like your cup-o-sea? Check out this Kelp Forest Face Mask from Anato. 
 
Not feeling so super about your surfing powers? The folks at HOKALI have you covered + plant a sq ft of kelp for every lesson booked.

Not only are the fish, lobster and other residents well-fed in a thriving kelp forest, kelp can also be harvested to feed us land folk too. Akua's kelp jerky and pasta, puffed seaweed chips from 12 Tides, and Seaquoia's supplements and seasoning are all delicious #OceanPositive ways to get a healthy dose of vitamin sea.