Unlocking the Power of Seaweed: An Unexpected Solution for Climate Change

Imagine a small seaside town in England leading the way in a world of seaweed. That’s Paignton in Devon. I moved there for a quieter life, but what happened next surprised me.

With my kids aged four and seven, I wanted to spark their curiosity. While walking along Broadsands beach, I noticed heaps of seaweed. With a background in researching microalgae, I realized I knew little about seaweeds. This was a chance for some family fun and learning.

So, I bought a seaweed guide and some stickers. We aimed to find ten different types of seaweed on the beach. Soon, we found 30 and ran out of stickers! I was blown away by the variety—colors, textures, and shapes I never really saw before.

We started taking samples home and turned our shed into a mini-lab. We dried the seaweed and stored it in jars. This sparked ideas about how we could use it sustainably.

One day, I shared a picture of our jars on Twitter with the hashtag #SeaweedApothecary. This post changed everything. I learned about the many uses of seaweed—from biofuels and fertilizers to food supplements and cosmetics. I even incorporated it into my research at the University of Exeter.

My colleagues noticed my posts, and soon they were asking for samples. Like me, they had overlooked seaweed until they saw its potential.

Now, my kids—now teenagers—are credited in multiple scientific research articles. Together, we experimented with seaweed in various ways, testing its use as chicken feed, fertilizer, and even in cement. It was all simple science, easy enough for anyone to try at home.

One notable project involved sargassum seaweed in the Caribbean, which presents a significant environmental and economic challenge. Each year, millions of tons wash ashore, causing damage to local ecosystems and communities. I began working on ways to convert this troublesome seaweed into useable resources.

Through collaboration, we created SeaGen, a company focused on using technology to harvest seaweed sustainably. Our goal is to make seaweed cultivation an economic reality through automated solutions.

Seaweed can help build a more sustainable future, but we still face challenges in large-scale production. Our mission at SeaGen is to tackle these hurdles. From those early beach walks to running a company, the joy of exploration remains. We’ve now identified nearly 70 types of seaweed, and I’m always eager to find more.

This journey has transformed my research and led to new projects and funding opportunities. It all started with a simple walk—and who knew such an adventure was waiting at the beach?

You can listen to more about our seaweed struggles and successes on the podcast “Secrets of the Sea,” available on BBC Sounds.

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