Clean Oceans — The invaluable value of water
We spent a day with Karolina; professional seaweed diver, food creator, and passionate advocate for clean oceans and sustainable “blue food” – edible resources found by and below the surface of the sea.
Clean Oceans — The invaluable value of water
We spent a day with Karolina; professional seaweed diver, food creator, and passionate advocate for clean oceans and sustainable “blue food” – edible resources found by and below the surface of the sea.
The Swedish west coast – beautiful, harsh, and wild. A coastline peppered with rugged rocky outcroppings and small islands, some covered to the last habitable square foot with traditional fisherman’s cottages. On one of those islands, you’ll find Karolina Martinson, a professional seaweed diver and a passionate advocate for “blue food” and sustainable oceans. “I want to inspire change and empower people to easily use the food that grows by the shore”, says Karolina.
The future of green food can be blue
Seaweed and other blue foods are rich in essential nutrients while cultivation has a low environmental footprint. They can help solve multiple global challenges. Seaweed is today used in both human and animal foods and found in a variety of medical and beauty products, biofuels, and packaging. The interest in their potential is expanding all over the world. Karolina comments; “we need to think long-term, scale wisely and protect our oceans if we want to harvest sustainably from them”.
The shoreline hides a colorful but problematic secret
Before diving into the sea, Karolina takes us to an unassuming spot on the rocks and explains that this is where it all started. At first glance, the ground appears to consist of gravel, grass, and crushed seashells. When looking closer, we can see that it is covered in tiny pieces of plastic pellets in a variety of colors––lost cargo from a container ship, washed ashore. The pellets are joined by plastic caps, straws, and bigger bits and pieces of plastic.
When taking a step back, we see the horizon, where the container ships lie at anchor. Between us is the sea, life above and life below the surface. “I found this spot when my kids were toddlers and ran barefoot on the rocks. It feels like yesterday, but it’s more than 20 years ago, and the plastic pellets are still here. For me, this somehow connects everything; this small island and the big world, the sea, the ecosystem that we should be a part of, not users of––and the children. It reminds me about what is truly important,” says Karolina.
” When I moved to the island 25 years ago, the islanders saw seaweed not as a resource but as waste. It sparked my interest and I wanted to turn the tables. Today, Blue Food is my livelihood and my passion. I love seeing the sparkle in people’s eyes when they realize the shoreline is a hidden pantry.
I believe in thinking globally and acting locally, creating ripples in the water — ripples that can grow into powerful waves that travel the world. All the people out there working for positive change fills me with real hope for the future.“
”think global — act local”
– Karolina martinsson, aka algblomman
